Chasing a Ghost
by Imjusthere61944
Summary: 20 years after PP, Vlad has returned to earth, hellbent on taking revenge on those who 'wronged' him. The Guys in white hire Sam to track down her supposedly deceased husband to counter the threat. Daniel 'Fairburn' finds he must confront his old nemesis while running from a part of his past he cannot bring himself to face.
1. Mr President

_Before we start, I better make the usual disclaimers as not to incure lawsuits. I do not own Danny Phantom or its characters. Please remeber to review. Cheers. _

* * *

Chasing a Ghost

Chapter 1

Mr. President

If there was one thing that Dash Baxter, head of the Secret Service, hated, it was State Dinners. The broad shouldered, blond-haired man watched through the thick sunglasses that he wore over his grim face as the President of the United States moved through the crowd of people in the banquet hall shaking hands and making small talk.

"All tiers, report in" Dash announced into a small earpiece/mike that was positioned in his ear.

Replies came in from each respective group all over the White House.

"_Tier 1, clear!"_

"_Tier 2, nothing to report!"_

"_Tier 3, all's well!" _

Dash let out a breath in an effort to steady the butterflies that were fighting to get out of his stomach. If were up to him, the President would be kept in a protective bubble 24/7 and shown to the people maybe twice a year to prove he was still alive. Any sort of public event was a huge stressor for him and his men under normal circumstances, but with recent events in mind, this State Dinner was an absolute nightmare for the Secret Service.

Still, Dash could do nothing about the situation. The President had been adamant about going. So now here he was, shaking hands while his head Secret Service man had a near heart attack at the slightest sudden noise.

"No one said it was an easy job" a voice in Dash's head reminded him.

At this thought, the former football star actually let out a small chuckle. He then continued to scan the guests in the room. After a few minutes, his gaze fell on a young woman who looked about in her mid-thirties. She had black hair that was tied up in a bun and distinctly violet eyes. She too was scanning the crowd, and her gaze fell on Dash.

The woman nodded and smiled slightly at the Service Head, who gave a smile of his own in return. Dash considered walking over to the woman and talking to her, but he his job to be concerned about. So he continued to gaze out over the partygoers looking for any suspicious activity. Eventually, he found some.

A man stood near the back of the room. He was dressed in a pair of faded tan slacks and a brown and white checkered shirt. However, the one thing that made him stand out among the other guests the most was that he was wearing a baseball cap that had been pulled down low so the brim of the hat hid his eyes from view. But the cap did not hide his black hair that that stuck out a little on either side of the hat.

With a sigh of frustration, Dash made his way through the groups of senators and other officials until he reached the man. The man looked up at Dash when the he stopped just in front of him. As soon as the Secret Service man got a glance at the latter's light blue eyes, his suspicions were confirmed.

Without a word, Dash grabbed the man by the collar and pulled him out of the banquet hall and into a nearby restroom. Once they were past the door, Agent Baxter threw the man up against a toilet stall.

"What the Hell are you doing here?!" he hissed angrily.

"Nice to see you too, Agent Baxter" the man replied scathingly.

"Do you realize how suspicious you look? You've probably been spiked by five of my guys by now" Dash continued, ignoring his former classmate's sarcasm.

"And here I was thinking that I was blending in" the young man took off the base ball cap to reveal a head of black hair that was formed into a hairdo that was familiar as the sun to Dash.

"A party full of snobby politicians all flashing off their expensive duds and you think that_ that's_ blending in?" the head agent gestured toward his companion's clothes.

"Hey, not all of us can afford to buy a tux".

"You probably can't even afford to _rent _one".

"If there a point to this?" the man was starting to lose his patience.

"Yeah, it the same question: why are you here? Do you realize that if they find you, they'll…" Dash began, but the black-haired man cut him off.

"He's here, he's gonna try and kill Tuck" he explained.

At this, Dash fell silent for a minute. "Are you sure" he asked finally.

"He's probably already in the banquet hall".

At this, the latter shook his head. "No way, I got men on every entrance and they got pictures of him. There's no way he could get in!" he insisted fervently.

"He probably fazed through the walls".

"Nope, I've got magnetic sealers on every wall and the ceiling. No ghost could get through".

At this, the blue-eyed man gave a short laugh. "Well then you should fire whoever placed the sealers because I got in through the back wall of the janitors closet.

This blatant exposing of his men's carelessness caused Dash's cheeks to go red in anger and embarrassment. "Damn it Fenton" he muttered.

Daniel Fenton gave a small smile. "So, like I said, he's here, and he's gonna kill Tucker".

"How can you know for sure that he's here?"

"I can _feel _him, Dash" Danny's voice grew irritated again.

Said agent let out a deep, frustrated sigh and looked at the tile floor of the restroom, deep in thought. Some time passed until he finally looked back up at Danny.

"Okay, I'll handle it, but you need to get out of here" he insisted.

"No way, you'll need my help to stop him!" the latter objected fiercely.

"We got this, Fenton!"

"You think you do, but just how many of your agents are equipped to take on a ghost?"

"The Guys in White will back us up if we need them."

"Their best response time is 15 minutes. Tucker will have been dead for ten by the time they get here".

"What if someone recognizes you?!" Dash's voice became a shout as the argument turned in Danny's favor.

"No one else at this party, besides you and Tuck, knows me. I'll be fine" said Halfa replied confidently.

"That's not true, Sam's here as well. I saw here a few minutes ago".

This new information caused the self-assured look to fall from Danny's face.

"Does she know I'm here?" he asked in a quiet tone.

"I doubt it, she'd be on you in an instant" Dash replied with a shrug.

"Look, I've got more important things to be dealing with than my ex-wife right now" the latter insisted.

"You know, you two are still technically married".

"Till death do us part, remember?"

"Yeah, but you're not dead. Not yet anyway".

"But she doesn't know that".

"Oh, I think she does".

"Are we done here?" there was a bitter undertone to Danny's words as he growled them as Dash.

Baxter shrugged once again, and stepped aside to allow his old rival to pass.

"Don't expect me to save your ass if you get into an awkward situation" he cautioned Danny as the young man exited the rest room.

"You can count on it" the Halfa whispered as he headed back out into the hordes of partygoers.

* * *

Sam Fenton felt out of place standing among so many important and well-known Heads of State. She actually recognized the governor of Illinois at one point. As she continued to wade through the crowds (trying her best to be as unobtrusive as possible) she was suddenly swept up in a wave of people as they crowded around the President. The pushing of the crowd caused Sam to bump into someone, and when she turned around, she was greeted with the sight of fairly built young man wearing a baseball cap.

"Sorry" the stranger muttered before moving away in a hurry.

"That was weird" Sam thought as she watched the retreating back of the man.

She was just about to pursue the strange man when someone tapped her on the shoulder. Sam whirled around and found herself looking into the smiling face of a tall, handsome African-American man who was flanked by two Secret Service men.

"Hello, Sam" Tucker Foley greeted his old friend with a tight hug.

"Hello, _Mr. President_" she replied, giggling a little.

"Not sure I'll ever get used to that" Tucker admitted as he let go of Sam and stepped back from her a little.

They both shared a good laugh at the situation. Tucker had never seemed the political type. However, after his stint as Mayor of Amity Park, he ended up pursuing a rather fruitful career in the field. Now, he had just recently been elected President of the United States, the youngest one in history at 36.

"So how are you?" Tucker asked when the laugh was over.

"I'm alright, you?" was the reply.

"Stressed" the latter admitted, taking a deep breath and letting it out sharply.

"It's a stressful job. But I'm sure you'll manage. You always do" Sam assured him with a smile.

"Excuse me, Mr. President, we have a previous engagement to get to" one of the Secret Service men reminded the Commander-in-chief, who nodded before turning back to Sam.

"You take care. Try not to be a stranger" Tucker called after her as he was led away by his guard.

The President was led out of the banquet hall and down an abandoned hallway toward the helicopter pad on the South Lawn. However, as the group was nearing the end of the hallway, a voice suddenly sounded from off to their left.

"Gentlemen, if you don't mind, I'd like some time alone with the President" it said a curt tone.

The Secret Service men drew their weapons, but two of them were immediately hit by bursts of ectoplasm which pinned both men to the opposite wall. The third and final agent managed to get a shot off before he too was stuck by a blast of energy and downed by his opponent.

That opponent was Vlad Plasmius, another Halfa who stepped out of the shadows of the hallway in ghost form, grinning maliciously. Tucker stood his ground and looked up at his enemy with defiance as the ghost flew closer.

"Now that we're alone, I wanted a few words with you, Mr. President" the solid evil, former billionaire continued his grin growing wider as a ball of ecto-energy charged in his hand.

"I'm not a big student of government etiquette, but I'm pretty sure you need an invitation first, Fruit Loop!" another voice sounded from behind the two confronting figures, and both turned to see its origin.

Danny stood behind them, his baseball cap on the ground next to him.

"Daniel, you're just in time for the party" Vlad called in a mock excited tone.

"I'm goin' ghost!" Danny shouted, and two rings of energy appeared near his midsection, one travelling up his body, one traveling down, shifting him into ghost mode.

Tucker had barely enough time to step back a little when the two Halfas went at it. Vlad had flown at Danny, his foot outstretched in order to deliver a kick to the younger man's jaw. However, Danny caught this and grabbed the outstretched foot before throwing his arch-nemesis to the ground.

"Space has made you sloppy, Plasmius" he observed with a sneer.

Vlad sat on the ground at first and shook his head a little. Then, he looked up at Danny with a smile of his own.

"My dear boy, I'm just getting warmed up" he hissed.

Danny should have seen it coming. A last of ecto-energy hit him, sending the young Halfa flying across the hallway and through the door at the other end. There were screams as partygoers scattered at the sudden cloud of rubble and plaster dust. Danny gave a cough as he stood up out of the remains of the wall. Vlad was already hovering through the hole, the grin still planted firmly on his face.

"You haven't changed a bit either, little badger. Still the same cocky young fool that left me floating in space" the evil ghost mocked.

"LET"S TEST THAT THEORY!" Danny shouted at the top of his lungs as he flung a piece of rubble at the hovering Plasmius.

It struck him in the shoulder, knocking Vlad off balance for a minute. That minute was all Danny needed, and he shot up from the floor and delivered a solid punch to Vlad's jaw. Said villain was knocked backward, but quickly recovered before launching another ball of ecto-energy at his attacker.

Danny dodged this by stretching his body out a little and moving it off to the side, allowing a large gap between himself and the ball of energy.

"Is that all you got?" he mocked Plasmius, his own cocky grin on his face.

"Well, only because you asked" these words were followed by a column of light from Plasmius's hand that stuck Danny like a hammer, causing him to fly across the room and hit the wall with a grunt of pain.

The ghost boy (although now he was a full grown man) slid to the ground and lay there for a few seconds, trying to regain his bearings having been disorientated by the sheer power of the blow.

"Man, that focusing stone really does work" he thought weakly.

Suddenly, Danny felt an arm under his shoulder and he was lifted to his feet. He looked upon and found himself looking into a pair of violet eyes that he could never forget.

"Danny, is it really you?" Sam whispered.

"Hey Sammy" her husband replied huskily.

"How touching, a cute reunion for the happy couple. Pity it has to be cut short I'm afraid" people moved aside as Plasmius approached the couple, both his hands charging up balls of ecto-energy.

When they had reached a certain size, Vlad combined the two into on large bubble of ghostly energy, which he unleashed upon Danny and Sam.

"SAM RUN!" Danny shouted, pushing his wife out of harm's way before the bluish-green beam engulfed him.

"DANNY, NO!" Sam screamed.

She had just gotten him back, she couldn't lose him again!

* * *

_Not quite sure how I fell about this chapter. It's my first Danny Phatom fanfic after all. Guess I'll just have to see what kind of feedback I get. Happy reading. Cheers. _


	2. The empty spot

Chapter 2

The empty spot

_Three weeks earlier_

The sounds of an alarm clocks steady beeping filtered in through the heavily veil of sleep in Sam's mind. Her eyes opened and she reached over to the clock on the nightstand next to the bed, blindly feeling around for the snooze button. She eventually found it and shut the beeping off.

The young, 36-year-old woman let out a sigh as she rolled over on the large king-sized bed she slept on. Her gaze was drawn to the large empty spot next to her. Sam looked at this spot every morning, a feeling as empty as the unfilled sheets filling her when she did.

After a moment she shook her head. "Don't think about it, it doesn't help" her brain reminded her.

Resolved not to spend an hour staring at the empty spot on the bed as she sometimes did, Sam hopped out of bed and dressed in a modest, green skirt that came down to just above her knee, a blue shirt with short sleeves that buttoned up the front, and a pair of sandals. Though she had been a self-proclaimed Goth in high school, the image had died away during college. Now, in fact, many people often complimented her on her colorful clothing.

Once she was dressed, Sam headed out into the small kitchen of the three room apartment that she rented. The refrigerator was fairly stocked considering she was a single, working mom. But then, a job as a veterinarian paid rather well, and Sam as good at her job. Before long, she had some eggs sizzling in a pan on the stove, and was just preparing to flip them when she heard a voice behind her.

"Good morning mommy" a small, feminine voice called.

Sam turned and saw her four-year-old daughter, Madison, standing behind her, dressed in her shorts and t-shirt. Her mother laughed.

"It's the middle of February, sweetie, you'll be freezing in that" Sam observed.

Madison looked down at her outfit sheepishly. Sam let out another chuckle and walked over to her daughter, placing a hand on the little girl's head and ruffling her black hair. Madison had most of Sam's traits for the most part, all except for her eyes, which were a light blue, like her father's.

Madison had never known her father. He had died the same day that Sam learned she was pregnant. It had been a bittersweet piece of news. So, for the last four years, mother and daughter had lived alone, Sam struggling to support her family as best she could.

At this, her thoughts were drawn back to that empty spot on the bed, but she shook off the melancholy and smiled back at her daughter once more.

"You get changed and I'll have breakfast ready when you get back" she continued, giving Madison's shoulder a squeeze.

The young girl nodded, elated at the thought of breakfast, and quickly ran off back to her room. Sam watched her go with a smile. She had so much energy, something she got from her father no doubt.

Once her daughter was out of view, Sam went back to cooking the eggs on the stove. As she did so, she found her idle mind kept wandering back to the images of the empty spot, and the man who had once filled it.

"I miss you, Danny" she thought sadly.

* * *

A sporadic ringing noise caused a pair of light blue eyes to open. Daniel "Fairburn" lay on his single bed in a small bachelor's apartment, the sunlight streaming in through a large window off to the left of his bed. Danny let out a groan and sat up. He indentified the source of the ringing as his phone, and he quickly jumped out of bed to answer it.

"Hello?" Danny inquired in that husky 'I just woke up' tone.

"Danny, where the hell are you man?! You should have been an hour ago! Jason's asking about you and he's on the warpath! It's gonna be my ass if you don't…" a voice on the other end of the phone was shouting frantically.

"Bobby, calm down. I'll be there soon" Danny interrupted his friends as he rambled on about "getting canned" and "not being able to feed his family".

He hung up the phone and ran to his wardrobe. Danny immediately threw on a white t-shirt a pair of grease stained coveralls with his name sewn on a small patch on the front of them. When this was done, he headed into the bathroom and looked at himself in the mirror.

Danny was a fairly built young man with black hair and light blue eyes. Most people might have considered him unremarkable, but there was one thing that most people didn't know that made Daniel "Fairburn" far more unique than any other human.

Knowing that it was the quickest way he could get to work, Danny went and stood I the middle of the apartment and said: "I'm goin' ghost". Immediately, two rings of energy moved up and down his body, turning him from Daniel Fairburn to Danny Phantom.

Once his transformation was done, he took off through the wall of his apartment and out into the busy streets of Chicago. Still intangible, Danny flew through the tall buildings, vehicles, and even people that got in his way as he sped toward work. It was an exhilarating feeling, and Danny loved it, letting out a "whoop" of excitement as he shot past cars and people.

At last he reached a small, one story building with a large sign on the front that read: "Jason's Mechanics". Danny fazed through the wall of the building and into a side storage room. Here he shifted back to human form before stepping out into the main garage. The sounds of power tools and other mechanic implements going off filled his ears as Danny made his way over to the punch-in clock.

"Jeez man, do have any idea what Jason's gonna do to me? Where the hell have you been?!" Garrett Long, the man who had called Danny that morning, suddenly appeared and started going off immediately.

The Halfa rolled his eyes as he punched in before heading out into the maze of oil change pits and car lifts. Garrett was right behind him, still nattering away.

"I mean, I vouched for you. Your credibility is my credibility, and if you get fried for being late, how do you think that makes me look?" he went on and on until Danny finally turned around in exasperation.

"Are you gonna keep bitching about it, or are you gonna let me work?" he demanded.

Garrett was taken aback by this, and he threw up his hands. "Look, I'm just saying, you can't be an hour late to work every day".

Danny let out a sigh. "I know, I'm sorry Garrett. I just had a rough night" he explained in a voice that reflected the exhausted look in his eyes.

The look in his friend's eyes changed to that of sympathy. "Nightmares again?" he inquired.

"Sort of" the latter replied in a near whisper.

"C'mon, let's just get to work; it'll take your mind off things".

* * *

After dropping Madison off at daycare, Sam headed to her workplace at the Amity Park Animal Hospital. Indeed, even after graduating college, she and Danny had never left their home town, though Danny had sometimes suggested moving to Chicago. Nonetheless, after her husband's death, Sam had never considered leaving Amity Park. It was home to her.

She arrived at the animal hospital and parked in its massive parking garage before heading inside. Her white lab coat contrasted oddly with her other colorful clothing. Still, the black haired veterinarian walked down hallway confidently. She stopped when she came to the front desk.

"Hey Jules, I need my appointment schedule for today" she requested, and the red-haired secretary nodded before handing Sam a clip board.

Dr. Manson nodded in appreciation and continued down the hallway, skimming over the clip board and not really looking where she was going. As to be expected, she ran into someone in the crowded hall, causing her to drop the clip board.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry" Sam began to apologize profusely as she bent down to get the clip board. However, the young man she had bumped had already leaned down and picked up the board. He was a tall, brown haired man with a slim face.

"Oh, Dr. Fallings, hi" Sam felt the color rise in her cheeks.

Dr. Eric Fallings was the most sought after (and in many of the female doctors at the practice, the most sexy) male doctor at APAH. He smiled a bright, toothy smile as he handed the clip board back to Sam.

"Morning Sam, how are you?" Eric asked.

This made the subject of his inquiry blush even more. It was no secret that Fallings had a thing for Sam.

"I'm good…I mean, I'm okay you know…I just…I…I'm really in a rush and…" Sam stumbled over her words like a school girl, something that was rather uncharacteristic of her.

"Hey, it's no problem. I should have been more careful. If you like, I'll make it up to you with dinner" this was the third time that Eric had asked Sam out for dinner. Both the previous times she had made up some excuse to get out of it.

"Umm, can I get back to you on that, I'm late for an appointment" Sam quickly sidestepped her admirer and hurried away.

Eric watched her go and shook his head with a smile before heading off to his own appointments.

Meanwhile, Sam looked back to make sure she was out of sight of Dr. Fallings. She released a breath she had been holding with a "whoosh".

"So, you and Eric finally hitting it off?" the voice made Sam jump, and she turned to see her friend Rebecca Itsen smiling at her.

"We ran into each other, yeah" the latter replied with a shrug.

"He ask you out again?" the smile on Rebecca's face got wider.

"Yes" Sam admitted with a sigh.

"I don't understand you, Sam. You got the hottest guy in the hospital falling over you, and you won't take advantage of that" the younger doctor shook her head and let out a small laugh.

"Yeah, well, maybe I'm just not ready for a relationship" Sam muttered absentmindedly as she scanned over her appointment schedule.

"Sam…Sam!" Rebecca suddenly grabbed Dr. Manson's arm and pulled her back. Said young woman looked up at her surprise.

"It's been nearly five years. You have to move on at some point" her friend counseled her honestly.

Sam tired to pull way, but Rebecca's grip tightened. "You can't keep focusing on someone who isn't alive anymore!" she insisted.

"Are you finished?" Sam growled angrily.

Dr. Itsen released her hold, and Sam marched away without another word. Rebecca watched as she went.

"Sorry" she whispered after her.

* * *

"You know, you should try the 3/4 socket. It'd be easier" Danny called to his coworker, Jack Scissum.

"C'mon you fricken thing, straighten up and fly right!" Jack shouted angrily as he pounded on an engine with a ratchet.

"Try not to break it anymore than it already is!" the voice of the men's' boss caused all of them to flinch.

Jason approached the group and grabbed up the 3/4 socket which he threw at Jack. He then focused his attention on Danny.

"Fairburn, I wanna see you in my office, NOW!" the anger in his boss's voice was evident, and so Danny simply nodded before following Jason back to his small work area.

The man in charge slammed the door shut and motioned for Danny to have a seat in the chair across the desk from him. When his employee was seated, Jason sat down as well.

"Where were you this morning?" he demanded, glaring at Danny as he did so.

"I overslept, sir" said the Halfa bluntly.

"Okay, so give me one good reason why I shouldn't fire you then".

Danny had to think for a moment. He desperately needed this job to pay the rent and to feed himself.

"Because I'm smarter than most of the guys in this garage, and you like that" he countered finally.

It was true. Danny had always dreamt of being an astronaut, however, during his college years his focus had shifted from riding in the rocket to building it. Thus Danny had pursued a degree in engineering in the hopes of building rockets for NASA. Of course, all of that had changed after he had faked how own death. Now he could not risk getting a big ticket job with NASA since his identity might be discovered.

Jason let out a sigh, knowing that what Danny had said was true. "Look, you've got to show up on time, ok. Just promise me you'll try" he said in defeat.

"Promise" Danny said quickly before standing up and leaving without waiting for Jason to say anything else. He watched Daniel go with a sigh.

"He's a smart guy, but there's something about him I'll just never get" he thought.

Out into the garage, Garrett was waiting for Danny. "Did he can you?" he asked concernedly.

"No, just gave me a talking to" was the reply from Danny, who immediately went back to trying to open up the cylinder of an engine to change the filter.

"Hey, me and Jack are going by the club after work tonight. You wanna come with?" Garrett offered hopefully.

"No, I'm good".

"C'mon man, you might meet a pretty young thing to take home".

The look on Danny's face told Garrett that he had stepped over the line. His friend said nothing, but he had a dark look about him and a vain in his neck had started to throb in anger.

"Sorry man, I forgot how sensitive you are about women" Garrett muttered.

"It's fine man…just…shut up for a little while. I need some quiet time".

So the two friends worked in silence, Garrett, as he had done many times over, trying to figure out in his mind what had caused Danny to become so defensive when it came to his relationships with women.

* * *

Sam's day had been a long, frustrating ordeal. She had done ten consults, assisted in three surgeries, and done two euthanasias (these being the hardest for her). Finally, her shift came to an end, and she walked toward the parking garage fully prepared for the day to end.

Just as she reached her car, someone called to her. "Wait, Sam!"

She turned and blushed profusely at the sight of Dr. Fallings approaching her from across the lane in the garage.

"Hey" she greeted him with a smile, but he did not return it.

"Look, I'll ask one more time, and if you don't want to go out with me, then just say so and I won't bother you again. Do you want to go to dinner with me?" Eric delivered the ultimatum in a nervous voice.

Sam looked down at the parking garage's concrete ground and tried desperately to sort through the thoughts in her mind. Her first instinct was to say no, but Rebecca's words from that morning were coming back to her.

"Okay" she whispered finally.

Eric looked at her in shock. "W..What" he stuttered.

"Okay, I'll go to dinner with you. Would tomorrow night be good?" Sam asked, her resolve strengthening.

"Uhh…yeah sure, okay" Eric's face was lit up with excitant and relief, and he smiled broadly.

Sam couldn't help but laugh. "Alright, I'll see you tomorrow then" she said before getting in her car.

"Yeah, tomorrow" Dr. Fallings whispered after her as she drove away.

He then proceeded back to his own car, feeling as though he was walking on air as he did.

He had a date with Sam Manson.

* * *

_So, relationship question of the day: if you go out with one of your coworkers because you think your husband is dead, but he's really not, is it still an affair? Guess you will all have something to look forward to in the next chapter. Please review as well, any and all feedback is welcome. Cheers. _


	3. Evening activities

Chapter 3

Evening activities

Sam hurried around the apartment the next evening, searching desperately for the matching erring she had in her one ear. Her entire stomach felt as though it was hosting a dancing contest, and she spoke quickly to Rebecca, who had agreed to babysit Madison while Sam was out on her date.

"Okay so, Madison's dinner is in the fridge, you just have to heat it up. Also, if she gets bored play some phonics games with her, don't just pop her in front of the TV. If you need anything you have my cell, plus there's emergency numbers on the fridge. Make sure she's in bed by…" Rebecca had watched with an amused expression as Sam searched for her missing erring while giving these instructions in a fast, nervous voice.

"Sam, relax" Rebecca advised as she reached over to the kitchen counter and grabbed something off of it, which was reveled to be Sam's other erring, "I got this".

Her friend took the erring and put it in her other ear before taking a deep breath.

"I'm sorry, I'm just _really _nervous" Sam admitted.

"I noticed" Rebecca replied with a laugh. However, her face grew serious for a moment as she asked "who was your last date?"

Sam looked down at the floor. "Danny" she whispered.

"How long ago was that?"

"Well, if you wanna count anniversary dinner…"

Though they had been a couple since high school, Sam and Danny had only been married for three years before his death. They had been three of the best years of her life.

Her best memory was of their first anniversary dinner. She had come home late that night from classes at the university (she was still trying to get her veterinarian's degree). Danny had had everything laid out. He had cooked the dinner himself and set it up on a table covered in rose petals out on the balcony of the penthouse they were living in at the time. Candles had lit the whole deck and Danny himself was dressed in the most expensive suit he could find (though he later admitted to having rented it, but Sam didn't care). As if this all had not been enough, he had even hired a violinist to play while they ate.

Tears were starting to form in the corner of Sam's eyes as she remembered that night, and she shook them away forcefully. Rebecca, seeing her friend's emotions coming forth, had stayed silent and simply looked at Sam with a gaze of sympathy.

"I'm…I'm gonna be late" said widow murmured and she turned to head to the front door.

"Hey" Rebecca called after her, and Sam turned only to be caught in a tight, reassuring hug from her closest friend.

"Have fun tonight. Remember, it's not about Danny" she whispered.

Sam nodded and smiled appreciatively at Rebecca. Then, she turned and left the apartment with the latter watching her leave. The young woman then turned her attention to a framed photograph that hung on the wall nearby. It was a picture of Sam in a wedding dress standing next to a tall, handsome, black-haired young man in a groom's outfit, who she could only assume was Danny.

"She really loved you" Rebecca muttered to the photograph of this husband she had never gotten to meet, "shame she still does".

* * *

"Hey, what do you get when you cross Lassie with a watermelon? A meloncollie baby! Hahahaha" Jack tried his brand of humor on a quietly working Danny, who only looking up at his coworker in annoyance.

"Yeah, that's funny, Jack. Gee I forgot to laugh" Danny shot back in irritation.

"I'm just trying to cheer you up, man. You look like you're minutes from going to the electric chair" the latter observed with a shrug.

"Tell me about, the guy half-dead already" another mechanic concurred, and both he and Jack laughed.

To their surprise, even Danny grinned at this. "What's so funny?" Jack inquired.

"Nothing, nothing at all" the Halfa replied, the grin still present on his lips.

They continued to work in silence after that for at least an hour or so. Danny's thoughts were mostly on his work, although they were slightly clouded by his increasing grogginess. It was getting late and he had not slept well the previous night due to the nightmares that sometimes tormented him. As the night wore on, Danny felt his eyelids begin to droop. A sudden 'bang' made him jump and drop the wrench with which he was working on an engine with.

The noise was caused by three men who had entered the shop. One of them was rather short, and was flanked by two big burley guys. Jason appeared from his office and approached the men. He talked quietly with the short man, and then turned his attention to Danny, Jack, and Garrett, the only mechanics still working this late at night.

"Dan, Bobby, Jack get out of here" he shouted to them.

The three mechanics followed his order and exited the garage out into the waiting lobby.

"Damn it, he's knows I hate it when people call me Bobby" Garrett muttered (Bobby his middle name, and many in the garage preferred it to his first name).

"I think he's got more on his mind right now" Danny observed as he glanced through the window that connected the shop and the lobby.

"They're here to collect no doubt" stated Jack as he too glanced through the window with Danny.

"The shop's been having financial issues lately, I'm not sure if he can pay up" Garrett's voice sounded worried.

"Pray he can" Danny muttered.

* * *

Zia's was the most expensive and well known restaurant in Amity Park, and it was also the place that Eric and Sam had agreed to meet. After arriving and having a valet park her car, Sam headed inside. Pleasant piano music filled the air inside the fancy dining establishment. A large chandelier that hung overhear illuminated the entire dining room. Every table was covered in an elaborate table cloth with patterns embroidered on them.

A waiter dressed in a tuxedo stood at a podium scanning over an open book of reservations. After a moment of nervousness (she had not been inside such a high-end eating establishment in some time) Sam approached the elderly gentleman.

"Excuse me, I'm here with a reservation for Manson and Fallings" she stated to the maître de.

The man glanced down at the book and read down the listings for several seconds, then back up at Sam.

"Ah yes, your second guest is already here. Follow me please" the host said curtly before heading out into the maze of table beyond the podium.

She followed him until they reached the near center of the massive dining room. There was a large tank in the center of the room that contained diverse species of tropical fish. Sitting at one of the tables near the fish tank was Eric in a pair of black slacks no black jacket that was open reveling a light blue undershirt with no tie. When he saw Sam approaching, Eric stood up and smiled at her.

"Wow, you look amazing" he observed.

Sam was wearing a black dress that came up to just above her knees. The back neckline plunged a little, reveling a bit of her upper back. With this she wore a pair of open air high-heeled shoes. She smiled at the compliment and blushed.

"Thanks, you look nice too" she replied, nodding toward his suit.

"Just something I dusted off for tonight" Eric waved the compliment off and moved around the table to offer her the other chair.

Sam smiled at him and sat down, and her date took his own seat across from her. Eric looked as nervous as Sam felt. It was actually kind of reliving knowing that he was just as unsure as she was. This quickly manifested a problem, however. Neither of them knew what to say to each other. The silence persisted until after they had ordered their food (and Eric had ordered a bottle of wine). Eventually, he managed to break the silence.

"So, what changed your mind?" he inquired.

"What do you mean?" Sam replied in confusion.

"Well, this was my third time I asked you to dinner. What made you say 'yes' this time?"

"Guess I just finally decided to give it a shot" she replied with a shrug.

"Well, I'm glad; I was tired of meeting across an operating table".

"I didn't mind it. I like a man in scrubs" Sam observed with a small grin.

"Well, guess I'll have to remember that if we ever have dinner again" said Eric with a laugh.

The image of Eric wearing scrubs at this fancy restaurant actually caused Sam to laugh as well. They both laughed then, each imagining the other in their scrubs. It was the first time in years that Sam had laughed with another man, and she found that she enjoyed it quite thoroughly.

It was the best night either had had with a date in a long while.

* * *

A half-hour had passed, and Jason was still talking with the goons in the garage. Jack was now pacing nervously in the center of the lobby while Danny and Garrett both continued to watch the scene unfold. Jason's voice was continually rising, as well as the short man's.

Finally, Danny felt his heart stop as one of the larger goons grabbed Jason by the collar and landed a blow on their boss's face.

"Oh crap, things just went south!" Garrett shouted in alarm as he and Danny continued to witness the brutal beating.

"Okay, that's it, I'm out" Jack threw his hands in the air and practically ran for the exit.

"Hey wait, we can't leave Jason!" Garrett shouted after his coworker. Danny began to follow Jack, but his friend grabbed his shoulder and held him back. "Wait, we can't just do_ nothing_!" he insisted vehemently.

"What do want me do?" Danny demanded.

"Don't treat me like everyone else, like I don't know what you can do! Do your whole 'goin' ghost' thing, go in there, and kick their butts six ways from Sunday" Garrett shook his coworker slightly as he spoke.

"Keep your voice down!" the latter hissed, glancing nervously at the door that Jack had left through.

"C'mon man, he needs help".

"I can't get involved, if word gets out that Danny Phantom was spotted at a mechanic garage then my cover will be blown!"

"There's gotta be _something _you can do!"

Danny let out a sigh, and glanced back at the window of the garage. Finally, he came to a decision.

"Wait in here until I come and get you" he ordered Garret before stepping back and shouting: "I'm goin' ghost!"

The rings of energy appeared and shifted him to ghost form. Danny Phantom then slid into the floor and moved out into the garage. The minions had stopped momentarily and Jason was laying the ground trying to recover from the last round of blows. This made Phantom's plan all the easier. He moved through the floor until he was right below Jason, then fazed through the floor and overshadowed his boss.

Jason opened his eyes, which flashed green briefly before returning to their normal color. He stood up with a grin which caused his attackers to look at him in surprise and puzzlement.

"You not done yet Baker? Fine, give him another round!" the short man ordered his cronies, who immediately stepped forward eagerly.

"Who wants to go first" Jason asked in a calm voice.

The two thugs exchanged glances. Then, they both threw a punch at him. Jason/Danny dodged these blows easily and moved behind the two with his enhanced speed and agility. They both turned and threw their fist at him. Jason ducked, and each man's fist connected with the other's jaw. Both men fell to the ground out cold.

The overshadowed Jason stepped over the downed goons and stood in front of the short man.

"I'm warning you Baker, I can fight too" the mobster growled.

"Make your move then" the latter replied with a grin.

At first, there was an uncomfortable silence as each man sized the other up. Finally, the short man threw a left jab at Jason's jaw. "Jason" grabbed the hand and jerked it sideways, causing a 'snap' to sound from the man's wrist. He cried out in agony, and when the possessed man release his hand, the mobster grasped it in pain, his wrist clearly broken.

"I would suggest that you walk away" Jason recommended to the pained enforcer who looked up at him with a shocked expression.

"You're gonna pay for this, Baker. You just wait" the short man shouted as he hurried out of the shop, his dazed bodyguards following after him.

Once they had left, Phantom shouted: "Garrett get in here!"

His friend followed through immediately and entered the now almost deserted shop. As soon as Garrett was nearby, Danny exited Jason, who then started to collapse back to the floor. However, Garrett caught him under the shoulder and held him up as best he could. Danny shifted back into human form and grabbed his drained boss under the other arm, and the two mechanics led the beaten man toward the lobby.

As they did so, Jason shook his head in confusion. "W…what happened?" he muttered hoarsely.

"You did it, boss. You drove 'em off. It was quite impressive actually" Garrett explained, with a shared glance at Danny.

"I…I did?" Jason inquired in disbelief, "how?"

"I have no idea, but you know, people under pressure do some pretty amazing things" Garrett was struggling for an explanation.

"Yeah, it was like you weren't even you" Danny backed his friend up with a slight chuckle as they led their boss out of the garage and toward Garrett's car.

It had been one hell of a night.

* * *

While Sam waited for her car to be brought back to her at the valet parking area, Eric waited with her. The sat in silence once again, and, once again, the silence was broken by Eric.

"I had a good time tonight" he said with a smile.

"Yeah, me too" Sam replied, and she was telling the truth.

"So, we should do this again sometime, you know".

"Yeah we should".

It was starting to get a little awkward between the two. Finally, Sam's car was pulled up and the valet exited before handing her the keys.

"Well, I'll see you at work tomorrow" Sam said slowly after turning back to Eric.

To her surprise, said doctor suddenly leaned over and planted a tender kiss on her cheek.

"Goodnight" he whispered, then walked away without another word.

Sam watched in silent shock as he walked away, leaving only a slight tingle on her cheek where the kiss had been laid. She reached a hand up to touch the spot. No one had kissed her like that in nearly five years. After a moment or so, she got into her car and drove off into the night for home, all the while trying to analyze the emotions she was feeling.

It was a lot to process for one evening, that was for damn sure.

* * *

_Here we get to see how our favorite couple spends their respective evenings. Quite a contrast wouldn't you say. Anyway, sorry things have been rather slow thus far. They'll pick up I promise. Review if you wish. Cheers. _


	4. The coming storm

Chapter 4

The coming storm

Though void and empty during the day, the New Mexico desert came to life after the last rays of the sun had disappeared over horizon. Animals that slept during the day now awakened and prowled the cooled sands. Insects hummed with a steady buzzing noise, and the sounds of animal noises echoing across the mesas and dunes could be heard everywhere.

On this particular night, two young men armed with shotguns had driven out into the desert to hunt and were now creeping through a small, narrow canyon between two small ridges.

"I'm telling you T.J., we ain't gonna see nothing in this dark" one of the juveniles pointed out to his companion.

"No, we'll find us a Pronghorn or something" the latter insisted (for it had been his idea to go hunting).

So, the two friends continued to move through the thick blackness of the desert until they reached the end of the canyon. The end of said formation led onto a large open plateau from which one could for miles around during the day. As the two men stood on top of this plateau, one of them suddenly noticed that the sky above them was getting lighter.

"It can't be morning yet" he muttered as he continued to watch the ever brightening sky.

"What the…." Both hunters gasped in surprise as a large ball of light descended from the heavens.

They watched as it drew closer to the ground until it went out of sight behind a rock formation. There was a bright explosion and loud 'bang' as whatever it was hit the earth with such force that the two hunters felt the vibration in their boots. There was a cloud of dust that was kicked up several feet in the air, illuminated by an explosion at the crash site.

"What the Hell is that?!" exclaimed one of the hunters.

"No idea, let's go check it out" the other replied with an adventurous grin.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, what if it's like a bomb or something?" his friend protested anxiously.

"C'mon man, who'd be dropping bombs out here in the middle of desert? Let's go check it out!" the first young man was already running toward the crash site. After heaving a deep sigh, his friend followed after.

The strange object had crashed in a sort of basin that was formed where to canyons ended, opening into the large bowl shaped rock formation. Almost squarely in the center of the basin sat the object which, at a closer look, was revealed to be a large chunk of rock.

"Wow, it's like an asteroid or something" the hunter who had been so intent on investigating the phenomenon moved a little closer into the basin as he stared at the slightly glowing rock.

"Careful man, it might have like, space germs and stuff" his friend cautioned him as he kept his distance.

The first hunter ignored his buddy's concerns and continued to move closer, almost mesmerized by the strange rock.

"Dude, you have gotta check this thing out" he called back to his nervous friend.

"Look, T.J., I think we should be getting back!" said young man was getting more anxious by the minute. He had a bad feeling about this.

"Aww, lighten up Carl, what's gonna happen? There gonna be an alien or something in there?" T.J. shouted back in amusement.

"Something like that" a voice sounded behind Carl, causing him to jump slightly.

Said hunter turned and found himself looking at a green skinned man with black hair that came to a point on two side, and red glowing eyes. He wore a silver and black outfit with a cape and had very sharp teeth that showed in the malicious smile he was now giving the human.

Carl gave a shrill scream and ran down the sides of the basin. He stopped right next to T.J. who was staring at the strange figure in terror.

"Blast him!" the two young men raised their shotguns and fired off several shots.

Plasmius smiled and simply turned himself intangible, allowing the pellets of the shotguns to pass right through him without injury. The two friends continued to fire until they were both out of ammo. When they were finished, Plasmius turned him tangible again and grinned a wide, malicious grin that made shivers run up the spines of the two humans.

"And now, gentlemen, it's my turn" he growled.

Neither poor soul saw it coming. With lightening speed, Vlad flew at Carl and grabbed the young man's head. With vicious force, he twisted the man's head off to the side. There was a sickening 'snap' and Carl was no more. When this was done, Plasmius turned his attention to T.J.

The other hunter was ready however. He now held his gun by the barrel and had it clutched like a bat, ready to take a swing at the attacker. At this feeble attempt by this foolish human, Vlad simply grinned in amusement. He swept over to T.J. and grabbed the young man under the arms. Vlad then flew as fast as he could at a large rock off to one side of the basin. As he drew near, he let go of the human, who flew at the rock and hit it face first with full speed. T.J. was now with Carl.

Plasmius looked at his two victims lying on either side of the basin. These two wretches had been Vlad's first kills that he had carried out himself, at least, human kills. Now, as he glanced over his handiwork, he felt no remorse or empathy. Indeed, he felt almost nothing, only a sort of evil triumph.

Still, the burning anger that filled him was not directed at the two men he had just killed. No, it was focused on four faces that he could see very clearly now in his mind. The four faces of the people who had left him drifting in space for 20 years.

The first face belonged to a young black-haired boy of 15, Daniel Fenton. The other two faces belonged to his friends, the Black boy and the black haired Goth girl. And the fourth and final faced belonged to that of his former friend and schoolmate, Jack Fenton, Daniel's father, who had been ruining Vlad's life since college.

As these four faces continued to play before his mind's eye, Vlad became more and angry. Finally, he shifted back into human form and, after glancing mercilessly back at the bodies of the men he had just murdered, Vlad turned and walked out of the basin.

"Best get out of this desert. After all, revenge is a dish best served cold" he thought with smile.

* * *

To say that Sam was having a good day would have been an understatement. Indeed, it felt to her as though she was walking on air as she came into work the morning after her date with Eric. Sam was actually looking forward to seeing him. This lighthearted behavior did not go unnoticed.

"You know, they do random drug tests a lot here" Rebecca joked at her friend's overly cheerful demeanor.

"Oh, I'm high alright, but not on any substances" Sam replied with a grin.

"Haha, there you go girl, best kind of high is the one off life" her friend observed with a laugh, "I'm assuming your date with Dr. Dreamy went well then?"

"We had a good time" Sam tried agreed modestly, trying to stifle another wide smile.

"Did you do have some _coffee _at his place?"

"Rebecca!" Dr. Manson gave her friend a playful shove, "it was our first date".

Rebecca couldn't help but laugh again. Sam laughed too, but quickly stopped when she realized that she had forgotten her phone in her car.

"Crap, I have to run back to the garage and get my cell. Will you tell Mrs. Angstrom that I'll be a few minutes late for her cat's check-up?" she asked, turning to Rebecca, who nodded.

Sam turned and ran back down the hall and to the elevator, which she rode all the way down to the parking garage. Once inside the massive parking complex, she walked through the maze of cars, her footsteps echoing throughout the deserted space. She spotted her car and stopped walking for a minute. However, she noticed that the sounds of footsteps kept going for a few seconds after she had stopped walking,

At this, Sam glanced backward, but saw no one. "That's odd" she thought, then gave a shrug before opening her car and retrieving her phone.

She closed the door and relocked her car, then turned to start walking back toward the elevator. Her heart skipped a beat when looked back the direction she had come. A man was standing a few yards down the aisle of cars. The light where he stood was dim, and Sam could not see his face.

"Ummm, can I help you, sir" she shouted to the stranger.

The man said nothing, only continued to stare at Sam. Said doctor began to feel frightened, and she started off in the opposite direction of the figure. When she rounded a corner, she looked back and was relieved to see no one was following her.

"Maybe it was just your imagination" she tried to assure herself.

Suddenly, she rounded another corner and found the dark figure was dead ahead of her, standing in another area where the light was bad, so she could still not make out his face. Sam felt her heart pounding, and her fear increase as she turned and began to run the way she had just came. To her added horror, this time the figure gave pursuit, although he did not run after her, he only walked at a fast pace.

"Help!" Sam shouted into the echoing garage, "help me!"

She continued to run as fast as she could. Eventually, she turned a corner and ran smack into what was the unmistakable frame of a man. A pair of strong arms wrapped around her.

"HELP, HELP! SOMEBODY!" Sam screamed at the top of her lungs as she struggled against her attacker.

"Sam, take it easy, it's me!" a familiar voice exclaimed.

Sam looked up and found herself staring into the worried face of Eric. She let a gasp of relief and actually pulled him into a tight hug.

"What are you doing here?" she asked breathlessly.

"I just arrived, I was running late. Then I heard you shouting for help and came to see what was the matter" Eric explained, a look of relief in his own eyes that Sam was safe.

"There was some guy following me" Sam explained, a shudder running through her spine at the memory of his shadowed face and what might have happened had Eric not come along.

Eric looked past Sam at the direction she had come from. He stepped forward, pushing Sam behind him protectively.

"Who's there, show yourself!" the tall young man shouted into the empty lot.

There was nothing but silence in reply. "I'd better accompany you to the elevator" Eric suggested, and Sam nodded in agreement.

As they walked to the elevators, Eric smiled at her. "So how'd you enjoy dinner last night?" he inquired.

Sam blushed a little at the question, and smiled as well. "Yes, I haven't been out on a date like that in while" she admitted.

Eric's look grew serious suddenly. "Because of your husband?"

Sam's own face fell at the question. "Yes" she whispered.

"How long were you two married?"

At this, Sam fell silent. Eric hoped he had not offended her, and was relieved when she finally spoke.

"Three years" her voice was barely audible.

Tears began to form in the corners of Sam's eyes, and she shook her head in an effort to force them away.

"Sorry, I'm not really comfortable talking about it" she admitted.

"No, it's my fault, I shouldn't have brought it up" Eric insisted.

Sam smiled at the handsome doctor's ability to take the blame for things. It was something Danny had always struggled with. The two colleagues reached the elevators and rode them up to the third floor where both disembarked.

"Listen, I'm busy this evening, but would you like to go see a movie or something tomorrow evening?" Eric asked before they parted ways.

Sam smiled at him warmly. "I'd love to" she agreed.

"Great, I'll see you later" and with that, Eric headed off to his appointments.

Sam watched him leave, smiling after him the whole way until he was out of sight. Then, she too turned and headed off to her first consult of the day.

The memory of the man who had been following her in the garage had all but faded.

* * *

_Danny peered through the darkness that now enveloped him, desperate to see some sore of land mark or sign telling him where he was. The young Halfa could not remember how he had gotten here in the first place. _

_Despite his best effort, however, the darkness still obscured his view. He noticed that he was in his ghost form, and so he charged a small orb of energy in his hand in an effort to provide some illumination, but it was in vain. It was as though the entire space in which he found himself was made of darkness. _

_Suddenly, two glowing lights appeared a little ways ahead of him. Desperate for some sort of light, Danny began moving toward them. When he had gotten so close that he could nearly touch them, a familiar cold, tingling sensation passed over his lips; his ghost sense. _

_Suddenly, the two lights turned red and seemed to glare at him. _

_"Hello Daniel" said an eerily familiar voice. _

* * *

Danny awoke with a start, and felt his forehead which was dripping with sweat. He looked around and found that he was lying in bed in his apartment. A glance at the clock on the nightstand next to him told him it was 2:02 A.M.

He let out a frustrated sigh and hopped out of bed to go to the kitchen. It had just been another nightmare. When he was a teenager, Danny had been troubled by the occasional nightmare. But after faking his death as an adult, they had become a lot more frequent. Just as he reached the kitchen, Danny once again felt the cool tingle on his lips and froze. This time, it was real.

Clicking on the kitchen light, Danny whirled around and found himself looking at a man with grayish white hair dressed in a purple jogging suit. The man smiled at Danny.

"Hello, Danny. Hope you don't mind that I dropped in" the man said with a smile.

Said Halfa let out a sigh of relief and exasperation before turning back to the fridge and opening it.

"You scared me" he muttered as he got out a carton of milk and poured himself a glass before sitting down at the table nearby.

The man sat down in the chair across the table from his old friend. At first they sat in silence as Danny drank his milk. When he had finished, the visitor spoke up.

"When did you start sleeping with a bottle next to the bed?" he asked, gesturing toward a bottle of scotch that sat on the nightstand.

"When the nightmares started" Danny muttered.

"Is that how you cope with the guilt, then? Drown it out with booze?"

"What are you doing here?"

"I can't pay an old friend a visit?"

"You're the master of time, I'm sure you have better things to be doing than sitting here heckling my character flaws" the annoyance in Danny' voice was apparent.

"Well, since you bring it up, I do have a little something to discuss with you" Clockwork admitted, a little sad that he and Danny could no longer have small talk as they once did.

"Well then, I haven't got all night" his friend urged him.

"There's something bad coming, I don't know what, a great darkness clouds my vision of it. I know only two things about it for certain. First, it will cause the destructions of both the Ghost World and the Human world" here Clockwork paused to allow his words to sink in.

"And the second thing?" Danny inquired.

"That only you can stop it" the latter explained.

Danny let out a laugh. "So that's it then. You're here to pull me out of hiding so I can save the world" he shook his head, "unbelievable".

"How long do you plan on hiding out here stewing in your own guilt" Clockwork demanded, anger now in his voice.

"You weren't there!" Danny shot back, equally as angry.

"It wasn't your fault!"

"SHE DIED! SHE DIED HELPING ME! SHE HAD A HUSBAND KIDS, AND SHE DIED BECAUSE OF ME!" Danny's voice reached a high octave as he screamed these words at Clockwork.

There was a tense silence, broken by Clockwork after he let out a deep sigh.

"I know you think you're protecting Sam and all the others by pretending to be dead. But what about all the people who will perish because you sit here and do nothing? Being a hero is about sacrifice, Danny, it's what makes a hero a hero".

"_Her _death was bad enough. If Sam had died, I wouldn't have been able to bear it. And she ended up in the hospital that day" the downtrodden Danny admitted sorrowfully.

"But she did not die".

"But what if she had? She's my wife, and a man looks after his wife. So that's what I'm doing. The further I am from her, the safer she is".

Clockwork gave another sigh and stood up. Danny said nothing more, simply staring at the empty glass in his hand. His ghostly visitor walked to the middle of the room.

"The wheels are in motion, Danny. If you sit here and do nothing then you condemn us all. Or, you can try and stop the evil that threaten both my world and yours, and perhaps find redemption in doing so. The choice is yours".

With that, Clockwork transported himself away, leaving Danny alone in the kitchen. He sat at the table for some time, the memories that he had tried so hard to lock away coming back to him.

A tear fell from his eye and he began to cry silently for Sam, for _her_, and, most of all, for the happy life he had once led.

* * *

_So many questions, so few answers. Man, that must be driving you lot nuts. Guess you'll just have to keep reading :). Review if you can find the time. Cheers. _


	5. Complicated complications

Chapter 5

Complicated complications

James Casey, the head of the Bureau for Paranormal Regulation and Elimination (often referred to as "The Guys in White" due to its members' uniforms) strode purposefully down the halls of the HQ building for the BPRE in Washington D.C. He had been summoned in early that morning by a phone call from one of his subordinates who had told his boss that "something big had happened" and to "come down to the office right away".

So, here he was, making his way toward one of the operation's briefing rooms. He arrived at the specified room and found Howard Wright, the head of Southwest District and Jonathan Brisby, the second in command of the BPRE.

"Good morning Director Casey, sir" Brisby nodded to his commander and Wright stood at attention and saluted.

"Gentlemen" Casey gave them both a nod, "what's the situation?"

"Sir, we responded to a report of an incident about 25 or so miles south west of Albuquerque, New Mexico. Upon investigation, we found a site where a meteorite had hid. The area was covered in traces of spectral residue. There were also the bodies of two young men at the scene" Wright explained the report he himself had received the previous day.

The director's focus seemed to sharpen at the mention of casualties.

"Do we know how the two men died?" he inquired anxiously.

"Yes sir, one had his neck snapped, the other took a blunt force trauma to the head".

"So they were murdered then?"

"Yes sir, it would seem very much so".

Casey looked down at an open file folder on the table before him and let out a sigh. After scanning over the folder, which contained photos of the site and the bodies, he glanced back up at Wright.

"Do we know who may be responsible for the killings?" the asked the director.

"Yes sir, we sent samples of the spectral energy to lab for analysis. They say that it matches the spectral sample we have on file of Vlad Masters" was the reply.

At the mention of Masters, Casey's head shot back up and he stared intently at Wright.

"Masters, the billionaire from Wisconsin who turned out to be a Halfa?"

"That is correct, sir".

"It would fit in, sir. No one has seen or heard from Masters since the Disastroid Incident, when he flew out into space to try and stop it" Brisby concurred with his colleague.

"Alright, I want all southwest regional teams on alert. Masters is to be found and eliminated" the director gave the order and looked up at his two men expectantly.

Neither of them rushed out of the room to deliver the order, instead, they just stared at Casey.

"Problem?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Uh, I'll go deliver the orders, sir" and with that, Wright exited the briefing room, leaving only Casey and Brisby.

"Sir, if I may, I don't think we're going to find Masters this way" Brisby admitted after a moment of tense silence.

"Well then, John, how would _you _suggest we do it?"

"We need to enlist someone who knows Masters's techniques and habits. Someone who's had experience in dealing with him".

"And who would do you propose?"

"Daniel Fenton, sir".

At this, Casey gave a small laugh. Daniel Fenton had saved the world from the Disastroid. He had also created a headache of paperwork in the Capital City, as the government completely reformed the laws and regulations on ghosts. Indeed, Daniel's actions had changed the entire creed of the BPRE. Ghosts were no longer seen in terms of black-and-white, as solid evil. Now there were good ghosts and bad ghosts.

"Daniel Fenton is dead, I attended the funeral" the director replied with a shake of his head.

"With all due respect sir, the funeral was just a memorial service. The body was never recovered. And now, we've gathered some evidence that Fenton may actually still be alive" Brisby explained as he pulled up a feed on the projector in the room.

The feed showed a young man with black hair walking down a street (the video was probably from a traffic camera) and into a store. Just as the young man entered the store he looked up at the camera, giving a full view of his face.

"We ran the face through the database and compared it with Fenton's. The computer said that the two faces were a spot on match with a 99.89% confidence rating" the second in command explained as he paused the video with the young man's face fully visible.

Casey was shocked. He stared at the face and knew, even without a computer's help, that that was Danny Fenton. The eyes, the nose, even the hair fit.

"I don't understand. Why has he been allowing us to think he's dead for nearly five years?" the director inquired in puzzlement.

"I don't know, sir. But this video was taken in Chicago only a few days ago" Brisby explained, "If we can recruit Fenton's help it would be a big boon, not only in finding Masters, but also beating him".

"Fine then, you have my permission to locate and recruit Fenton. But Masters is top priority, I want him found and imprisoned or eliminated before he can do more damage. Is that understood?" Casey stood up and issued his second order of the day to his second in command.

"Yes sir, we'll find him".

They saluted one another, and then Director Casey left the room, leaving Brisby staring at Danny's frozen face.

"Now the only question is: how do we find _you_, Daniel?" he thought.

* * *

Aside from some bruising, Jason had not been seriously injured during the beating he had received the previous day. Therefore, he was present at work when Danny came in the next morning.

"Long, Fairburn" their boss shouted to them as he approached. "I just wanted to say thanks for yesterday".

The two friends smiled at Jason and each nodded. "We couldn't just leave you boss. Why, if Danny here hadn't OUCH…" Danny slammed his elbow into Garrett's back in order to keep him from revealing any further.

Jason gave them an odd look, and then he shrugged and headed back to his office. As soon as he was out of earshot, Danny turned to Garrett angrily.

"What the Hell man, you couldn't given me away" he hissed.

"You saved his life! I don't see why he can't know it!"

"Danny Phantom is dead, if word got out that he had been spotted in Chicago is would great a whole mess of trouble" the latter reminded his friend, who looked down at the floor with a sigh of exasperation.

"I just don't understand why everyone thinks you're dead when you're not, man. You won't explain it or anything" Garrett replied.

"Bobby, trust me, there's some things you're better off not knowing" Danny explained in a calmer voice before heading off to his and Garrett's workstation.

His coworker watched him walk away. Danny's words had only further deepened Garrett's curiosity about his past. Still, he was good friend, and knew that inquiring about Danny's past usually just pissed the guy off, so he simply worked on a van with his partner in silence.

As the day wore on, Jack arrived and began working on a truck that had been brought into to get a new fuel injector. It wasn't long before he was joking and laughing as he always did, and, frankly, it was starting to annoy both Danny and Garrett.

"Oooh yeah, listen to her purr" Jack grinned as he started the truck he was working on and listened to the engine run, "she's just like my wife in bed. Hahahahaha".

Danny rolled his eyes and Garrett called to Jack: "you know, we don't need to know every single solitary detail of your life, Jack. That's one of them!"

"Says the only two bachelors in the garage" the large man taunted back with another loud laugh.

Garrett saw as anger flamed up in Danny's eyes. Still, he set down the wrench he was holding and turned to his friend before calmly stating: "I'll be right back". He then walked quickly off toward the storage rooms.

Jack was still laughing himself silly as he continued to rev the engine of the truck loudly. Garrett continued to work for a little bit.

"Hell Bobby, I'll bet you're still a virgin even. It takes a special kind of talent to land a woman like mine. Hahaha" launched another fit of guffawing.

This was interrupted by a loud "phut" noise that came from the engine of the truck. It was followed by a sharp rattling noise and then the entire engine collapsed through the bottom of the hood.

"What the…" Jack shouted as eh leapt out of the truck and opened the hood to see the destroyed engine.

What followed next was a firestorm of cursing, first from Jack, then Jason when he came out of his office to see what all the racket was about. During this little show Danny reappeared, a huge smirk on his face.

"What did you do?" Garrett whispered.

"I didn't do anything" Danny replied, trying to keep an innocent look on his face and failing miserably.

"Long, go back into the storage room and get a new valve, the one this engine popped" Jason suddenly shouted over to the two whispering friends.

"You got it boss" Garrett called back, before heading off across the garage and into the storage room.

He could still hear Jason chewing Jack out as he dug through the boxes of part until he found what he was looking for. However, just as he reached the door to the storage room and was about to open it, there was a loud shout from the shop. It was followed by two voices conversing loudly, but not loud enough for Garrett to make out what they were saying.

Then, the gunshots sounded.

Garrett leapt away from the door, his heart racing as more gunshots sounded, intermingled with shouts and screams from the shop. He continued to back up until his back was against the shelf at the very rear of the storage room. His heart continued to beat furiously and he breathed heavily in fear as the horrific sounds continued for several more minutes. Then, all at once, things went eerily quiet.

All that Garrett could hear was his rapidly beating heart and ragged breath as his mind raced trying to figure out what had happened. At last, he moved slowly toward the door to the storage room and opened it as quietly as he could. It seemed to him that every step he tool made a soft 'click' noise on the concrete floor that might have possibly given him away.

Despite this, he glanced out of the open door and down the tiny hallway that led back to the shop. What he saw made his heart stop instantly. Men dressed in dark clothing and wearing ski masks armed with handguns were moving around the shop, searching any place that somebody might hide.

"You two, go check the storage rooms" a voice shouted.

At this, Garrett shut the door to the storage and stepped away from the door. Full blown panic was setting in. If they found him...

Garrett turned to try and find a good hiding spot, but instead slammed right into someone. Whoever it was slammed him against the wall and placed a hand over his mouth to silence the scream that Garrett tired to make. Said mechanic caught sight of the silver, white hair of his attacker and relaxed as he realized who it was.

Danny, already in ghost form, put a white glove covered finger to his lips signaling for silence. Garrett nodded and Danny removed his hand from his friend's mouth. The sounds of footsteps in the hallway grew louder until they stopped just outside the door.

"You search that one, I'll get this one" a muffled voice sounded from outside the door.

"Don't make a sound" Danny whispered before putting a hand on Garrett's shoulder and turning both himself and his friend intangible (and, in effect, invisible).

The door to the room opened and a man with a handgun and dressed in the same garb as the other men Garrett had seen entered. As this thug moved through the room, checking corners and knocking items off of the shelves to make sure no one was hiding behind them, both Danny and Garret did their best to remain as quiet as possible (neither of them even dared to breathe, although this was easier for Danny who did not need to in Phantom form).

Eventually, the black clad man, satisfied that the storage room was clear, headed back out to the garage. Once they were alone, Danny turned himself and Garrett tangible again and the latter let out the breath he had been holding.

"What the Hell happened?" the human inquired quietly.

"That enforcer came back, and this time he bought his whole crew. They broke into the garage and started shooting everyone. I manage to hide behind one of the cars and go ghost before fazing through the floor, and now here I am" Danny explained, a terrified look in his eyes as he relived the brutal slayings of his colleagues.

"We have to get out of here" Garrett pointed out before moving past his rescuer and heading toward the door.

Once out in the hallway, he found that the shop was now deserted, but the reason for this was also very apparent. The attackers had fled because they had set the place on fire. Danny ran out and stopped next to Garrett with a gasp of shock.

"Damn, we _really _need to get out of here!" the Halfa shouted as he grabbed Garrett's hand and began running toward the back wall.

Just as they were about to hit it, Danny turned them intangible once again and they both fazed through the solid brick barrier. Outside on the sidewalk, they stopped for a moment and tried to catch their breath. Smoke was billowing out of the roof of the shop as the fire spread like crazy, fed by all the grease and gasoline inside. After a minute or so, Danny straightened up and began running back toward the wall of the building.

"Where are you going?!" Garrett shouted after him.

"There might be survivors. I'll check, you go call emergency services!" Phantom yelled back before fazing through the wall once more.

Inside was a fiery inferno as the flames continued to spread uncontrollably. This was a dangerous environment, even for Danny, since the heat was still deadly to him, even when intangible. Despite this, the ghostly hero moved forward.

"Hello! Is anyone still alive in here?! Hello!" he shouted into the fire.

His foot his something and he looked own to see the body of Jason, a bullet hole in his forehead. He was clearly beyond help. Danny was still looking at the body of his boss when he heard a voice call out: "help me, I'm over here".

Danny flew toward one of the cars parked off to the side of the garage and found Jack leaning against it, trying to stem the blood flow from a wound in his leg.

"Please, help me" the mechanic pleaded to this mysterious person who had appeared almost out of nowhere.

"Gimmie your arm" Phantom ordered Jack, who held out a hand which his rescuer took and placed over his shoulder before lifting the heavy set man up off the ground.

They moved slowly as Danny had to support his wounded coworker as the pair stumbled through the burning shop. Just as they neared the back wall, there was a loud crumbling house and a huge chunk of the ceiling fell down toward the two men. With every ounce of his enhanced supernatural strength, Danny flung himself and Jack at the wall and phased through it just as the two tons of material hit the floor where they had been standing.

Garrett was waiting outside, and ran over to the two men when they hit the sidewalk. Danny stood up and looked over at his friend, preparing to speak when the sounds of siren reached his ears.

"I have to go" Danny said urgently, and Garrett nodded understandingly.

As Phantom flew off into the night, Bobby kneeled next ot his nearly unconscious coworker, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Hang on Jack, you're gonna be alright" he tried to reassure the man as the sounds of sirens drew steadily closer.

* * *

After a long day at work, Sam was more than thrilled to finally be pulling into her familiar parking spot outside her apartment. After parking and heading upstairs, he took out her keys and jingled with them until the door was open. Once inside, the exhausted veterinarian went in to check on her daughter, who was asleep in her bed soundly.

Sam smiled at the young girls sleeping form and gently planted a kiss on her head before heading back out into the living room. She went immediately for the kitchen and the refrigerator for some late dinner. She took out some leftover pasta and stuck it in the microwave.

At first, she watched the turntable go around and around as her food was cooked. However, a loud thump from down the hallway drew her attention. Sam moved cautiously to the hall and glanced down it. She could see nothing because of the darkness. As she continued to scan the area, the steady beeping of the microwave sounded, indicating her dinner was done.

Sam felt her heart skip a beat when the beeping was cut off suddenly. She ran back out to the kitchen. Someone had opened up the microwave, but the pasta was still inside. Sam made to go for the phone and dial 911, when she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her and something sharp (a needle probably) was jabbed into her neck. Her attacker injected something into her neck and then released her. A wave of drowsiness swept over Sam almost immediately and she barely got even a groan out before falling to the floor.

Then, there was only blackness.

* * *

_Can you say 'Cliffhanger'? Neither of our favorite couple seems to be having a very good day. Things are definetly starting to pick up though eh? Review please, it keeps my morale up :). Cheers. _


	6. Opening moves

Chapter 6

Opening moves

Sam stirred slightly from her drug induced slumber and opened her eyes. Her vision was cloudy for a brief moment as her eyes tried to refocus. When her vision had at last returned to normal, the young doctor got a good look at her surroundings. She was in a large open room, the left side of which was dominated by a massive TV screen. A single rotating ceiling fan blew presently cool air down on Sam, who found she had been left sitting in a chair in the center of the room.

Since she was not restrained in any way, Sam stood up (a bit unsteadily as she was still groggy from the sedative) and moved around the mostly empty room. There was a table off to one side, and across from that was a door. This immediately drew Sam's attention and she stumbled over to the door and tugged at the metal handle. It would not budge.

Eventually she gave up with a sigh and went to sit back down in the chair. She could not stay standing for long with her current state of exhaustion. Sam also noticed that she was very thirsty, and she liked her dry lips.

There was a sudden clanging noise from the door, and it opened. Three men entered the room. Sam recognized one of them as Jonathan Brisby, the second in command of the Guys in White. The other two were themselves Guys in White since they wore the distinctive white suits of agents of the BPRE.

"Good evening, Mrs. Fenton. I'm sorry for the way in which you were brought here, but I wasn't sure if you would accept a formal invitation. Also, the location of this facility must remain a secret." Brisby explained as he stood before Sam.

"Where am I?" the young woman demanded.

"You're still in Amity Park, but I'm afraid I can't tell you where exactly." The co-director answered as he took out some papers and set them down on the table nearby.

"My daughter?"

"She's fine; we have an agent guarding the apartment until you get back."

Sam gave a cough against her parched throat and Brisby frowned.

"I'm sorry; the sedative has a tendency to dehydrate. Bring her some water" he barked to one of the nearby agents, who handed Sam a bottle of water.

She took it and drank greedily until the bottle was nearly empty. When she was done, Sam sat in the chair catching her breath as Brisby looked on.

"Again, my apologies for the drugging, but we have a situation that requires your assistance" he explained, grabbing one of the folders and handing it to Sam.

She took it and opened it, revealing several photos of what looked like a crash site somewhere in a desert. There was also a printout from a computer that showed the results of a spectral residue analysis.

"We had a meteorite crash to earth in New Mexico several days ago. However, there were also two dead bodies at the crash site, indicating that the meteorite may have brought a passenger with it. We found some spectral residue and sent it to the labs. It came back a positive match for an old friend of yours." Brisby explained, before handing the second folder to Sam.

This was opened to reveal a picture of a man who Sam had hoped she would never have to see again. Vlad Masters had caused nothing but trouble for her and Danny in the past. The guy was a maniac, but according to Danny, he had disappeared in space.

As if reading her mind, Brisby nodded his head. "He's back, and he's already killed two people. The BPRE wants me to find him and either arrest him or eliminate him." he continued.

"And what does any of this have to do with me?" Sam demanded, agitation in her voice at the thought of Vlad's return.

"We need your help." The agent replied simply.

"Do beat him?"

"No, to help us find someone who can beat him."

At this, Sam gave a short laugh. "And who would that be?"

"That would be your husband, Daniel Fenton".

At first, Sam simply stared at Brisby as if the man was off his rocker. Then, she let out another short laugh, although this time it was a half-hearted one.

"My husband is dead, Mr. Brisby, he's been dead for four years" she replied in a quiet voice.

"Actually, Mrs. Fenton, we have found evidence to the contrary" the director announced as he picked up the third and final folder that was lying on table.

These words hit Sam like a ton of bricks. At first she couldn't say anything, she simply stared open mouthed at this man who was claiming her husband was still alive.

"That's…that's… impossible" she managed to get out.

"I assure you, Mrs. Fenton, we have plenty of credible sources that claim to have spotted your husband. One here says that Phantom pulled him out of a burning auto-shop. We also have an eyewitness who says he saw Danny come into his store and purchase some things. We showed him a picture of your husband and he swore under oath that it was a spot on match." Brisby went over said evidence flipping through the folder in his hands as he did so.

By now, Sam's mind was going about a mile a minute. Questions bombarded her confused brain as she struggled to understand what Brisby was saying. Danny was alive? But how? Why had he not told anyone? Where was he now? As these thoughts continued, Sam felt a massive emotional bubble inside her finally burst. Tears formed in her eyes and she shook her head furiously.

"No!" she sobbed, "Danny's dead, I spoke at his funeral! I helped bury the coffin!" it was more of a plea than a statement.

Brisby stayed silent and allowed Sam to cry for a few minutes. Once the brunt her crying was finished, he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"In all fairness Mrs. Fenton, the coffin you buried had no body in it. Maybe this will show you." He gestured toward the large TV monitor.

The monitor came on, showing the traffic camera video that Brisby had showed Director Casey earlier. Once again the video froze and zoomed in on the face of Danny as he entered the store. Sam's heart completely froze. She stared at the light blue eyes; those eyes she had dreamed about and missed for the last four years, the black hair with his familiar hairdo that had not changed since high school, and everything else that fit the description of her husband.

Sam shifted her gaze to the floor, unable to look in longer without risking another round of crying. It was true then. Danny was live. But why hadn't he told her. Why hadn't he told anyone.

"Sam?"

She looked back up at Brisby who was standing before her, a sympathetic look in his brown eyes.

"I know this is all hard to understand, believe me, there's some things about it I don't get either, but we need to find him and you knew Danny best of all. Besides, I'm sure you have your own questions for him. So, will you help us?" the young co-director asked in a quiet, somber voice.

Sam glanced back up at her husband's face on the TV monitor. It had been so long since she had seen it anywhere other than old photographs and home movies. It felt as though someone had driven a knife through her chest and had left it there, leaving an intense stinging sensation. After several minutes of thought, Sam came to her decision: if Danny was indeed alive, then she had to find him, not just for the Guys in White but for herself as well.

"Very well, I'll find him, no matter what, I'll find him" she announced, to which Brisby smiled.

* * *

Specter Technology Incorporated was the largest producer and supplier of anti-ghost weaponry and technology in the U.S. or indeed, the entire world. Its headquarters was a massive 56 story skyscraper located in the Silicon Valley in California. It was really quite an impressive structure, built so that is curved outward in its middle, then back inward as it went higher. Atop it in big neon green and white letters it read: "Specter Technology".

At the very top of this ornate building was the office of the company's founder and CEO. Said entrepreneur, a young black woman, sat at her desk reading over some stock reports. She grinned confidently at the optimistic report that indicated at least 6 and a half points of growth. The intercom box on her desk gave a small beep before a voice sounded through it.

"Excuse me Miss Gray, your 4 o'clock appointment called to say they could not make it and that they'd reschedule." the secretary reported on the speaker.

"No problem Jeanine just let me know when they reschedule." Valerie Gray, the CEO of Specter Tech, replied into the small.

When this was done Valerie leaned back and took a quick break from her busy day to lean back in her chair and give a contented sigh.

"Everything seems to be going your way, hm?" said a voice from off to Valerie's, causing her to jump with surprise; "I used to have those moments" it continued with a hint of bitterness.

Valerie looked over and gasped to see a man with grey hair wrapped up in a pony tail and wearing a suit.

"Vlad Masters!" she gasped in disbelief.

"Hello Valerie, you seem to be doing well since I left" said Halfa observed with a grin.

"W…what…how?" the latter sputtered in disbelief.

"I decided to come on home. It wasn't an easy trip." Vlad explained with a grin.

"But you…you look the same. It's been twenty years. You should be in your seventies."

"Time Dilation, 20 years in outer space only aged me a few months."

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't call security on your ass, cause I'll give you a good reason why I _should_. The BPRE put out an APB on you, you're a wanted man." Valerie growled at her former ally once the shock of his sudden visit had passed.

"Come now Valerie is that any way to treat an old friend?" Vlad asked with a mock hurt tone.

"You are _not _my friend."

"Even after all the ghost hunting equipment I gave you to help hunt down that Phantom boy?"

"You tired to manipulate me into killing a good person."

"Oh please Valerie, spare me the excuses. You would have killed Fenton with or without my prodding. Even now you sell ghost hunting equipment. You're the main supplier of the BPRE from what I've read" this time it was Vlad's turn to get angry, and he stood up before walking over to Valerie and stopping just in front of her desk, glaring down at her.

"Things have changed. There's good ghosts and bad ghosts now, and I know exactly which one _you _fall under" the CEO retorted with equal force, standing up so she was eye-to-eye with Vlad.

"Well then am I correct in assuming Miss Gray that you have no intention assisting me as I once assisted you?!" her opponent's voice was rising in anger.

"None whatsoever you maniac!" Valerie shouted back.

Vlad slammed a fist down on the desk causing Valerie to jump back a little. At first he stared at her, the anger he felt showing in everything from his eyes to the temple throbbing in his neck. He turned away from the desk and walked back toward the middle of the room. Suddenly, much to Valerie's unnerving, Vlad began to laugh.

"Well unfortunately for you, Valerie, you don't have a choice." He announced after the laughter had subsided.

"What do you…?" Valerie began, but Vlad cut her off.

"I've been some research on your company and have found some rather interesting facts. For instance, you're takeover of the Leland and Burns Firm. We can't say that it fell within legal boundaries can we? Or the selling of government contracts by politicians to your company which, in turn, donated large sums of money to their campaign funds. I'm afraid that isn't legal either, Miss Gray." Vlad began naming off various legal violations that Specter Tech. had committed in its rise to prominence.

Valerie stared at the surface of her desk, unwilling to meet Vlad's eyes.

"Need I go on?" he demanded.

"No, no" the latter whispered, "how did you…?"

"I was at the top once, Valerie. Take it from someone who knows that you don't get there without breaking a few rules. Of course, you've broken some rather big ones. So, let's review shall we. If you don't agree to be more…accommodating…I'll see to it that these transgressions show up in the news. You're company will crumble, you will lose every cent you have, and will doubtlessly be charged with corruption for which you could serve 25 to 40 years in a federal prison!"

Valerie seemed to sink lower and lower in her chair as she listened to Vlad's words. The worst part of it all was that it was the truth.

"Fine" she conceded at last, "what do you need?"

* * *

Clockwork, dressed in his human disguise, made his way across the grassy courtyard of the Amity Park Community College. Once inside, he headed directly for the upstairs chemistry labs. His final destination was Lab 207 where a class was currently in session.

Several bored looking students sat at tables while a young woman in her early thirties dressed in a lab coat was writing formula's on the board. She had black hair that was tied back in a pony tail and light blue eyes. In fact, she was a spitting image of Danny, except for the fact that she was female.

Clockwork waited outside until the class was dismissed and all the students had left and then entered the lab. The woman was busy erasing the formula's she had written on the white board. However, she called to Clockwork when he entered: "I wish you hadn't stood so close to the door. It's hard to give a lecture with my ghost sense going off every ten seconds"

"My apologies, I didn't want to disturb your class, professor" the ghost explained with a grin.

The Halfa finished her erasing and turned to her visitor with a friendly smile.

"Hello, Clockwork" she greeted him.

"Good morning Danielle, glad to see you are doing well" the latter nodded to Danielle "Dani" Fenton, Danny's clone by Vlad.

"So what do I owe the pleasure of this little visit?" Dani asked as she gathered up some papers that needed grading.

"I need your help."

"With what?"

"Danny."

At this, Dani fell silent. She looked at Clockwork for a few seconds then let out a sigh.

"Is he in trouble?" she asked.

"Based on the fact that you just asked that question, and that you are not referring to him in past tense, I assume you know the truth of his situation then." The master of time observed.

"I was the one who gave him a ride to Chicago. He made me swear not to tell anyone he was still alive."

"And so kept the secret? Even from his own wife?" Clockwork's eyebrows raised a little.

"I didn't say I was proud of it, but I made a promise" Dani shot back in annoyance at the accusation.

"Well, now I need your help to convince Danny out of retirement. Something bad is going to happen and only he can stop it." the latter explained in a calm voice despite Dani's agitation.

Said Halfa let out a deep sigh and closed her eyes for a moment. "You know he'll refuse. He can be very stubborn when he wants to" she pointed out.

"I know it, but this a life and death situation, not just for the human world, but for the Ghost Zone as well."

"How do you know only he can stop it?"

"It is one of the few things I can see in the dark cloud that masks this mysterious evil."

"So what do you want me to do?" Dani inquired.

"Go to Chicago, find Danny. Help me convince him that much hangs in the balance and that he must…" Clockwork stopped mid sentence and a strange look came over his face.

"What's wrong?" Dani asked anxiously.

"Someone's breeched the Tower" Clockwork whispered, and before his companion could inquire further, they were enveloped by a green portal and transported to the Clock Tower, Clockworks home.

As soon as they arrived in the main hall, Clockwork shifted back into his regular form and Dani into her ghost form. Clockwork had his staff out and ready as the pair moved cautiously down the hall to the front entrance. They found it with the doors having been blown open.

"Impossible, I seal the doors before I leave always, there's no possible way anyone could have forced entry" the elder ghost muttered in bewilderment.

"What would they have been after? Your staff?" Dani asked, equally puzzled.

"No, I keep it with me at all times; they wouldn't have been able to…" Clockwork paused as a horrific thought struck him.

Without another word he ran down the hall toward the storage rooms.

"Hey wait, what's wrong?" Dani shouted after him before giving an exasperated groan and following.

Clockwork ran until he reached a wooden door which he barged through without stopping. Inside the room was a stone pedestal that was now empty. It had originally held the Fenton Thermos in which was trapped Dan Phantom, Danny's evil alternate self from another time line. Dani arrived behind Clockwork, completely out of breath.

"What's…wrong" she questioned between gasps.

"It's gone, the thermos is gone." The latter whispered.

"I don't understand." Dani replied with a worried expression, "what's that mean?"

"It means that the opening moves have been made, we must make ours immediately. You must go to Chicago tonight and find Danny." Clockwork explained, turning to the young woman and putting a hand on her shoulder.

Dani said nothing, she only nodded before taking off and leaving the tower. Clockwork headed outside and watched her fly off into the vastness of the Ghost Zone.

"Please hurry, Danielle." he thought urgently, "time is running short".

* * *

_And with their opening moves, the epic chess match between good and evil begins. The question is, who will checkmate who? Good to see all our old heroes and heroines assembling for the fight. It's gonna be a doozy when it finally occurs. Review if you can find the time, it always brightens my day :). Cheers. _


	7. Casus Belli

Chapter 7

Casus Belli

With the shop having burned down and Jason dead, Danny had found himself out of work. He'd taken to lounging around his apartment, drinking perhaps more than was good for him. This was due mostly to his guilt. For had he not overshadowed Jason and had him break the wrist of the enforcer, the massacre would not have occurred and Danny's coworkers still be alive.

So he sat the kitchen table, drowning out his consciences cries of pain with liquor. He had been doing it for four years, so he had some experience. He heard a knock at the apartment door and looked up.

"Come in!" he called, expecting maybe Garrett.

The door was opened and a young woman with black hair entered. Danny managed a smile when he recognized his clone.

"Dani" he exclaimed with delight, "c'mon in, been a while since I've seen you around."

"Hey there Danny, I…" Dani paused as she wrinkled her nose at the smell of alcohol. "Are you drunk?" she demanded.

"I'm getting there" the latter replied with a tipsy grin.

Dani let out a sigh as she sat down across the table from the man she had always looked at as an older brother.

"Since when do you drink?" she pointed out in a disappointed tone.

"Dani, I really don't need a moral lecture right now" Danny replied in irritation before taking another swig from the bottle of beer in his hand.

"Fair enough, I need to talk to you about something…" said ghost girl explained curtly, but she was stopped short by a loud groan from her counterpart.

"Why so businesslike, can't we just talk?"

"Fine, what do you want to talk about?"

"I don't know. How's life as an Organic Chemistry teacher?"

"It's fine, how's life as a refugee hiding from anyone who ever loved you?"

"Don't get smart" Danny snapped angrily, causing a hurt look to come over Dani's face. He saw this and let out a sigh. "I'm sorry, I'm just so tired of everything…so tired" his voice dropped as he continued.

There was an uncomfortable silence as Danny continued to stare at his half-empty bottle and Dani at the checkered table cloth. As last, Danny began to laugh, but his laughter quickly developed into sobs and he began to cry. Seeing this, Dani stood up and moved over to him. He embraced her tightly as he continued to cry.

"How did it come to this? Why did it all go wrong? Why?" Danny gasped, hugging his female clone even tighter.

"I wish I knew" was all that Dani could whisper in reply, "I wish I knew".

* * *

Sam went into work that morning with a sense of numbness, as though someone had shot her full of Novocain. The shock of learning that Danny, the man she loved, the man she had cried herself to sleep over many a night, the father of her daughter, was still alive was almost too much to absorb. After being released and sent home by the GIW, Sam had entered her apartment in the early hours of the morning. She gone into Madison's room and stared at her sleeping daughter for several hours.

She had Danny's eyes. That was what always struck Sam the most. The light blue, almost pale blue, eyes were so in contrast to Sam's own violet eyes. Of course, she could not see them through her Madison' closed eyelids as she slept, but Sam knew they were there. One of the greatest challenges she had imagined herself facing was the question of what to tell Madison about her father. Indeed, as the young girl grew older she would ask questions about her father, Sam knew that. She just did not know what her answers would be now.

"I thought your father was dead but he really wasn't. He was missing for a long time until I found him." Sam played through responses to the questions in her mind, "he lied to me" she shook her head at this last answer.

Danny was a lot of things, but he was not the type to abandon his family and his responsibilities without good reason. Sam just couldn't figure out what that reason might be. She closed her eyes as she remembered that painful day once again.

* * *

_Sam had woken up in the hospital after being injured while try to help Danny fight off a particularly powerful ghost. She had awakened in a hospital gown lying in a bed with a broken arm and many bruises. _

"_Good morning Mrs. Fenton, how are you feeling?" a doctor who was in the room when she had awakened inquired. _

"_Where am I? Where's Danny?" Sam had demanded immediately, trying to sit up in the bed. _

"_Please, Mrs. Fenton, you've been through a lot, and you probably shouldn't be moving so much, it might…" the doctor tried to calm her down, putting a hand on Sam's shoulder in an effort to get her to lay back down. _

"_WHERE"S MY HUSBAND!?" Sam had screamed at the top of her lungs in frustration. _

_The doctor fell silent for a moment, contemplating on what to do. Finally, he seemed to come to a decision. _

"_Mrs. Fenton, the rescue personnel were not able to find your husband in the rubble from when the building collapsed. They believe he may not have made it. I'm…I'm so sorry" the man explained in a quiet voice. _

_At first, all Sam could do was stare at the doctor in shock. Tears began to form in her eyes and she began to shake her head. _

"_No…no,no,no,no,no NO!" the young woman was shrieking as she desperately tried to stand up, but the doctor's strong hands held her down._

"_Mrs. Fenton please, you've sustained injuries and your PREGNANT, we have to make sure the baby is stable" the man had shouted as he continued to pin her down. _

_The word 'pregnant' once again caused Sam to freeze in shock. She was pregnant?_

_This momentary lapse of struggle was all the doctor needed. He immediately took out a needle of sedative and injected it into Sam's neck. Darkness began to close in around Sam, and as she drifted off she whispered one last time: "Danny, please"._

_Then, she was gone. _

* * *

It was a painful memory. One that Sam usually kept at the back of her mind, like a dark cloud on a distant horizon. Now however, as she relived the horrific moment in her mind, the cloud spread until it obscured the sun, and her eyes brimmed with tears.

She was not sure how long she cried. It may have been an hour, it may have been longer. Regardless, Sam sat at the edge of her sleeping daughter's bed and wept silently. She had spent four years staring at that empty spot on the bed next to her, and now she was told that the person that had always filled that empty spot was still alive.

The alarm on Madison's clock went off, and the young girl stirred a little before opening her eyes.

"What's wrong mommy?" she asked, noticing her mother's red eyes from crying.

"Nothing honey" Sam had said quickly, pulling Madison into a tight hug.

They sat like that for a few minutes, mother and daughter, in a loving embrace.

"Honey, mommy's going away for a few days. She'll be back, but Auntie Rebecca is going to look after you until I get back, ok?" Sam whispered.

Upon realizing that she would be going away for a while, Sam had immediately called Rebecca from her cell phone and asked her to look after Madison. Although Rebecca had not understood this sudden departure (and was a bit hacked off at having been awakened at 4 in the morning) she had agreed.

Madison only nodded, and Sam released her before standing up and heading toward the bedroom door. She turned back and smiled at the young toddler.

"Better get ready for daycare sweetie" she said with a smile before leaving.

After dropping Madison off, Sam had headed straight for work. So now, here she was, walking down the halls of the Amity Park Animal Hospital, still feeling as numb as she had when the GIW had released her. She was not there to work, however.

"What do you mean, 'leave of absence'?" her boss demanded, dumbfounded by the suddenness of it.

"I'll be taking a temporary leave of absence, only for a few days" Sam repeated her previous words resolutely.

"And who will take your place, Sam? You're one of the best doctors here." The chief of staff persisted in an irritated tone.

"That's not my problem chief."

At this, the man in charge gave her a very hard look. Sam saw this and let out a short sigh before shifting her gaze from her boss to the floor.

"Look, I know its short notice, but this is really important and personal. I'll be back in a few days." she apologized.

This time it was the chief's turn to sigh, and he stared at her with caring look. "You be careful out there Sammy, I'll expect you back next week" he consented.

Sam smiled at him appreciatively. "Thanks chief" she said with a nod, before standing up and leaving.

The chief watched her go with a sad look. She was a good person and a good doctor. He just wished he could understand her.

Out in the halls, Sam ran smack into Eric on the way to the parking garage.

"Hey" he had greeted her with a wide smile, "don't forget our date tonight".

Sam heart froze at this statement. In all of the sudden shocks and decisions of that day, Sam had never thought about one thing: what was she going to tell Eric?

On one end, she did not want to hurt him. Eric was a good man, he put others before himself, and Sam liked that about him. How could she tell him what was going on? What would he say?

At last, she decided to take a more conservative route and replied: "I'm sorry Eric, but I'm going out of town for a few days, family emergency" she explained (it wasn't a lie per say).

The look on her coworker's face turned from one of happiness to one of concern and he palced a comforting hand on Sam's shoulder.

"Why, what's wrong?" he asked.

"Eric please, it's personal" Sam had replied in a quiet voice.

Though clearly curious, Eric respected her words and only nodded. "Give me a call if you need anything" he said, before stepping forward and giving Sam a hug.

She surprised at first, but she returned it gratefully (she needed some form of comfort right now). When they had separated, Sam managed to give Eric a weak smile before turning and heading toward the parking garage.

He watched her go with a confused feeling raging inside of him. What could possibly be going on that Sam would leave work on such short notice?

"You're so full of mystery Sam" Eric thought as he watched her walk off, "It's what I like about you".

* * *

Danielle sat on a small chair in the "living room" of Danny's apartment. She had been unable to bring herself to talk about Clockwork and all of that with crying and all. He had only stopped after falling asleep in Dani's arms. She had carried him over to the couch and laid him down before taking a seat, waiting patiently for Danny to awake.

As she looked at his sleeping form, Dani couldn't help but compare him to the old Danny. The old Danny had been a strong, confident, selfless young man. He had always been willing to lend a hand, it was what made him such a great hero. But now, this passed out shell of the man she once knew sat before her.

"What happened, Danny?" she thought sadly, "why are you so broken now?"

Suddenly, Danny stirred on the couch and his eyes opened. He jumped at seeing Dani and sat up quickly. When he realized who it was, he sighed in relief and lay back down.

"Sorry" Danny muttered after a few seconds of silence.

"What's happened to you, Danny" the latter replied, a very concerned expression on her face.

Said Halfa simply stared at the wall in silence.

"Do you at least want to talk about it?" Dani pressed.

"They're dead because of me. Practically everyone I worked with is dead. Ever since the incident, every time I've tried to help people, some has died" Danny explained in a somber voice, his eyes showing the deep pain he felt.

"What about all the lives you've saved? Do they not count?"

"When they're stacked up against all the people who have died because of me, no!" the frustration and pain in Danny's voice became more apparent and he looked as though he was going to start crying again.

"DANNY, YOU CAN'T SIT HERE FOREVER FEELING SORRY FOR YOURSELF!" Dani shouted, making Danny jump with surprise.

Danni had stood up and was breathing heavily with anger as she stared down at him. At last she managed to regain her temper and she continued in a quieter tone.

"Danny, I spent three years wandering around the Ghost Zone after you stabilized me. I've been where you're at, and I'm telling you right now: self-pity doesn't work. It just magnifies the pain."

"What would you have me do then?" inquired Danny, "go back to Sam and tell her the truth?"

"Clockwork sent me, he says we're running out of time and that you need to get up off your ass and do something about this evil he keeps talking about" Dani explained (although going back to Sam didn't seem like a bad idea to her either).

The latter shook his head and let out a sharp laugh. "Clockwork, of course. There's no way you would have visited me just because you missed me." He growled bitterly.

Dani was actually a bit hurt by his words. "Of course I miss you, Danny. You're like a brother to me" she whispered, looking down slightly.

Danny saw how much he had hurt his clone and walked over to her, giving her a hug. "I'm sorry" he apologized.

Danielle accepted the hug with an appreciative smile. They sat like that for a moment, like a big brother and his little sister, in a tight embrace. When they finally separated, Danny let out a sigh before looking at Dani resolutely.

"Alright, give me till tomorrow to get some things sorted out and we'll go see Clockwork" he agreed at last, and Dani smiled at him.

"Ok, I'll be back tomorrow morning" she stated and Danny nodded in agreement.

He saw her to door and, after some last goodbyes, Dani left and headed off down the hallway. About halfway toward the stairs she glanced back one last time at her friend's door and smiled. That was the Danny she knew.

She turned back to head down the stairs and 'BAM' a fist knocked her square upside the jaw. Before Dani could even react she was out cold.

Back in his apartment, Danny opened up his fridge and took out a bottle of beer. He took the cap off and was about to start drinking it, when he paused. Then, after a moment's hesitation he poured the alcoholic beverage down the kitchen sink. He smiled as he did this; it felt good in a strange sort of way.

Before he knew it, he had taken the rest of his drinks and sent all of them down the sink as well. Just as Danny was finishing up this little cleansing, there came a shout from outside that made his blood run cold.

"DANNNNY, DANNNNNY FEEEEENTON!" a voice shouted loudly.

Terrified at having just heard his full name used, Danny ran toward the window of the apartment.

"I swear, if that's Dani, I'm gonna…" he froze in mid-thought when he pulled back the curtain of the window and saw what was outside.

Dan Phantom, Danny's evil self from another timeline, hovered just outside the window, a evil grin on his face. Floating next to him was an unconscious Dani.

"Hello Danny, wanna come out and play?" Dan hissed maliciously.

* * *

_Another slow chapter I know, but hey, think about the action you'll get to see in the next one. Poor Danny, he's consumed with guilt :(. At least he seems to be working through it a little. For those of you who may be curious about it, Casus Belli is a Latin (ancient Roman) term for an incident that justifies a declaration of war. Fitting no? Please take the time to review. Happy reading. Cheers. _


	8. We've already won

Chapter 8

We've already won

Danny practically flung the window shade closed as he stepped back from it, still trying to wrap his mind around what he just seen. He was hoping that it had been a hallucination, but that hope was dashed almost immediately by Dan calling out once more.

"C'MON DANNY, WOULDN'T WANT THE YOUNG LADY HERE TO SUFFER WOULD WE?!"

Danny swore under his breath, then, after taking a deep one and releasing it, he stood up straight and resolute.

"I'm goin' ghost!" the rings immediately appeared and shifted him into Danny Phantom.

When this was done, Danny moved forward and fazed through the wall of the apartment. He was in mid air now (as he apartment was three stories up) floating right in front of Dan and Dani.

"Hello Danny, how long's it been? Twenty years?" Dan said, still wearing that same evil grin that had haunted Danny's dreams for several months after he had first confronted his evil alternate self.

They sized each other up. Dan saw almost the exact same young teenager who had defeated him twenty years prior, although of course he was taller and seemed to have put on a bit more muscle. Dan looked almost exactly the same to Danny. Except for one thing, there was a strange device wrapped around his neck that looked like a bike lock with a big red light on it.

"You haven't changed much" Dan observed, nodding toward Danny's black and white jumpsuit.

"Neither have you" the latter replied calmly.

"Yeah well, the Fenton Thermos does wonders for one's age."

"It's been twenty years and I didn't become you. Guess you're no longer my future." This time it was Danny's turn to grin slightly.

"And yet, here I am. Guess you can thank Clockwork for that, what with him removing me from the time stream and all."

"How did you get free?"

"You'd like to know wouldn't you? Well, I'm afraid that's a conversation for another day. I've got a score to settle with you!" Dan's voice grew lower and more menacing with these last words and his eyes appeared to glow a fiery red.

"Well then, I haven't got all day" Danny whispered.

"Very well" Dan's grin turned into a smile, then the green bubble around the unconscious Dani disappeared and she plummeted toward the street below.

Danny was off like a shot, his legs becoming his ghostly tail as he flew toward the falling Dani, and managed to catch her only a few feet from the unforgiving asphalt below. With his clone secure in his arms, Phantom landed on the pavement and sat her up against a parked car.

"Dani, can you hear me?" he asked, holding her up a bit but it was no use, she was out cold.

Before he could make any more inquiries, Danny felt something (it felt like a freight train) plow into him. It was Dan, and he swept Danny up in his grip and flew straight at a stopped bus. The evil entity slammed the Halfa into the metal behemoth of a vehicle with a loud 'BAM'.

Danny let out a grunt of pain as his back hit the metal frame of the bus. He went limp for a moment, then looked up in time to see Dan had his fist raised and was charging it with ecto-energy. Just as the blow came down, Danny fazed through the bus and out the other side. He heard the resounding 'clang' as Dan's fist collided with the bus where Danny's face had been.

The target of the punch now floated into the air and looked down at the furious Dan who flew up at his target, his fist again charged with energy. Danny managed to dodge a series of blows that was aimed at him before delivering one o his own right into Dan's stomach. However, the powerful ghost only gave a small grunt before delivering a decisive hit to Danny's chest. Phantom was sent careening into a taxi cab (its driver having run off, abandoning the car).

Dan went on the offensive and blasted a ray of energy at Danny, who just barely managed to dodge it. However, he was still knocked off his feet by the concussion of the blast hitting the car. Despite this, Danny's increased stamina allowed him to be on his feet in seconds and so he was prepared when Dan flew at him again. This time, Danny dodged his evil self's attempted punch and shot a blast of ecto-energy directly at his face.

This blast finally had an effect and Dan stumbled backward, gripping his face and yelling in pain. Taking advantage of this, Phantom flew at his evil self and delivered several punches to his torso and a kick to his shin before finishing with a vicious uppercut that his Dan square in the jaw. The ghost stumbled a little at this particularly strong blow. However, just as Danny went in to deliver yet another, Dan managed to recover and took a deep breath before releasing his deadly shriek.

The loud, shrill noise caused onlookers to cover their ears in pain. Danny was sent flying backward and up. "CRASH!" he went right through a window on a nearby building. Danny landed in the middle of a bunch of cubicles, and several people screamed and backed away from the sudden intruder. Just as he was getting to his feet, Dan arrived in the window and smashed away some of the glass around the hole to make it bigger so he could get through.

Officer workers were running here and there as Dan charged up another blast of energy and began to fire several low power blasts at his nemesis. Danny did a rolling maneuver across the floor, dodging the shots as he moved over to a computer monitor that lay on the floor nearby. In a swift motion, he picked up the monitor and threw it at Dan. Said evil ghost managed to bat the electronic equipment away as if it was nothing, but the latter managed to take advantage for the momentary distraction to fire a beam of his own which struck Dan in the chest. The villain crashed into the cubicle wall behind him and the flimsily structure collapsed, causing him to be buried in a pile of plastic and leather.

Danny sat staring at the pile, heaving deeply as he tried to catch his breath. He didn't get much of a break. With a long noise, Dan burst up from the pile, his eyes positively _glowing _with rage.

"Let's fight fire with fire shall we?" he roared before lighting tow balls of flame in his hands and throwing them on the floor.

The fire quickly spread across the layer of papers and cubicle lining as Dan threw more of the flames all over the office. As the fires spread and grew, Danny had step back (for he could still feel the effects of the intense heat). All he could hear was the roar of the flames and Dan's cruel laughter. However another sound soon appeared, the sounds of people calling for help.

Ignoring his attacker for the time being, Danny used his ice breath to move through the burning office until he reached a group of workers who had been trapped in a corner.

"Follow me!" he shouted to the terrified civilians, who did so as Danny continued to clear a path to the emergency exit.

They thanked him gratefully as each worker went out the window and down the fire escape. When the last person had left, Danny turned back toward the office and was struck by a flaming desk hurled at him by Dan's telekinesis. The force of the hit sent Danny himself out the window and he smacked painfully into the wall of the building across from the office before falling down and hitting the pavement below. Danny could groan in pain as even the slightest movement sent a stinging sensation up his spine. Dan floated down from the building, smiling at what he perceived to be his victory.

"Still no match for me, eh Danny?" he observed with a wicked laugh.

"I beg to differ" this time it was Danny's turn to smile as he looked up and shot a blast of ecto-energy at his rival.

Dan, too busy gloating, did not see it coming and was knocked out of the sky, hitting the road below with a resounding "thud". In spite of this show of force, Danny could feel his stamina starting to drain. The battle was taking its toll. Nonetheless, he stood, ignoring the pain as best he could, and walked to where Dan had landed. Without stopping, Danny moved swiftly at Dan, his fist raised in readiness to deliver a punch to the evil him. Said ghost had his own fist raised in preparation to hit Danny as well.

"HOOOOOONK!" a loud horn sounded and both ghosts realized they were in the middle of the street.

A large semi truck hauling a trailer with a large, hallowed out, concrete tube was careening straight toward them. The driver slammed on the brakes and managed to stop the truck by swinging it to the side. However, the force caused the chains holding the concrete tube in place to break, and it rolled off the trailer and straight at the fighting foes.

With this huge concrete menace bearing down on them, Dan and Danny went intangible and passed through it as it rolled over them. However, they went tangible inside of it and continued their slug fest. Now, the two ghosts were busy punching each other as the tube rolled down the street with them inside it. Danny wasn't sure which way was up and which was down as they rolled along.

He didn't have time to get his bearings either as Dan was now pounding a gloved fist into Danny's face relentlessly. Danny managed to gain the upper hand with a punch to Dan's kidney, but it was short lived. Just as he was about to go on the offensive, it happened. The tube smashed into something and stopped rolling, causing the two occupants to fly off each other and smack into opposite ends of the tube.

Danny, very disorientated but still conscious, got shakily to his feet and walked out one of the ends of the tube. Outside he found that the tube had smashed into a construction site and, after hitting a parked bulldozer, had been forced to a stop. Danny looked around him and, realizing that he finally had a break, actually laughed a little as he knelt down to catch his breath.

"Wow" he wheezed through a chuckle, "what a ride."

"BOOOOM!" the concrete tube split in two as Dan burst out of it with a roar of rage.

"ENOUGH!" he screamed before diving at Danny and pinning the young man to the ground.

Electricity coursed through Danny's body and he screamed in pain as Dan continued to shock him. As he did this, Dan grinned maliciously and heightened the voltage, making Danny scream even louder.

"What are you gonna do now, huh Danny? What can you possibly do?!" the evil ghost was laughing with delight at his alternate self's pain.

Suddenly, with a resounding clang, a metal rod slammed into Dan's back, sending his flying a few feet away. Danny, still panting from the sudden pain he had just experienced, glanced up at his savoir and saw Dani in ghost form, holding a metal rod in one hand.

"Where were you five minutes ago?" Danny groaned as he stared up at her.

"Sorry, they had me in an ambulance. I had to shift and then faze through the ambulance floor when the paramedic wasn't looking" Dani explained as she assisted the injured man to his feet.

Though a little unsteady, Danny managed to stay on his feet. He and Dani walked over to the still lying Dan and stood before him, Danny his fists raised, Danielle her hands aglow with ecto energy. They both stared down at the evil enemy with anger and stared right back in contempt.

"You can't win, Dan" Danny stated in a firm voice.

Dan opened his mouth to reply, an angry look on his face. Suddenly, the bike lock looking device on his neck began to beep and the small red light on it began to flash. Seeing this, Dan looked back up at his two rivals and grinned.

"You morons, we've already won" he replied with a dark chuckle.

Then, without another word, a ghost portal opened and engulfed Dan. He was gone before Danny or his clone had a chance to react. At first, they both just stared at the empty space.

"What did he mean by that? And what does he mean by 'we'?" Dani inquired with concern in her voice.

"I don't know" Danny muttered as he tended to his injuries. He had an eye that was starting to swell, multiple cuts (some of which were oozing ectoplasm), and a second degree burn on his right arm.

"We should get you to a hospital" the latter observed, gesturing toward his burn.

"No time, we have to see Clockwork right away."

"But you're hurt…"

"This whole thing was a distraction of some kind. We have to figure out what the Hell it was all about!" Danny insisted resolutely as he shifted back into human form (the cuts were now oozing blood and the burn was more prominent).

He then began to walk, albeit very slowly, toward the exit of the constriction yard. After watching him for several seconds, Dani gave a small shake of her head at Danny's stubbornness, and then followed after him.

"Let's hope Clockwork can provide some answers, I'm not sure how much more Danny can take" she thought as she followed after her 'big brother'.

* * *

Valerie felt nervous as she waited in her office for the return of her 'comrades'. At last, a green ghost portal opened and Dan appeared through it.

"Is he back yet?" the dark ghost demanded as he arrived.

"I don't have to answer to you" Valerie growled back angrily.

"Don't think that this cute little toy you got around my neck will keep me from snapping yours you…" Dan began the threat, but was cut off by a sharp jolt from the collar that made him cry out in pain and fall to one knee.

"You will refrain from disrespecting Miss Gray since she is, after all, your comrade" Vlad's voice sounded from the far side of the room.

Said Halfa appeared from the dark corner of the room with a displeased look on his face and small remote in his hand. Dan, once the pain had subsided, got to his feet and glared at Vlad.

"Did you find Daniel then?" the elder man demanded, ignoring the venomous look.

"Yeah" Dan replied shortly, "you were right. That Danielle chick led me straight to him."

"Everyone thinks he's dead." Valerie broke in suddenly, "what made you think different?"

"I knew Daniel wasn't dead because I haven't killed him yet!" Vlad hissed back.

"Damn old man, what happened to recruiting the boy as your son?" Dan noted with a laugh.

Vlad glared at Dan and was gratified to see the evil ghost flinch when he saw Vlad's finger hover over the shock button on the remote.

"Did you find the book?" Valerie inquired, trying to keep the situation calm.

However, Vlad's look only turned sourer at this.

"No, and even after I tortured that meddling ghost librarian about it, I still wasn't able to find it!" he shouted angrily, slamming his fist into the nearby wall.

"Ghost _Writer_" Valerie corrected him.

"I don't give a damn what the meddler's name is! I want that damn book, and I'll get it!"

"Send me, if he's still alive I'll get him to talk" Dan suggested gleefully.

"No, he was already practically dead when I was finished with him. We'd do better to save our energy" Vlad shook his head.

"Then what are we going to do?" Valerie inquired.

"Nothing" the mastermind of the group said after a few minutes of deep thought.

"Nothing?" both Dan and Valerie exclaimed.

"We shall wait. I know Daniel. He'll lead us right to the book if we just be patient" Vlad insisted, actually cracking a smile.

Dan could only scoff at this, but Valerie nodded in understanding.

"Very well" she agreed, "we wait".

* * *

_This chapter was mostly dedicated to the 'conversation' between Dan and Danny. Still, I've left you with a nice little mystery there at the end, eh? Please review (I'd particularily like some feedback on the fight scenes). Cheers. _


	9. The hunt begins

Chapter 9

The hunt begins

Garrett sat at his computer watching with wide eyed amazement the YouTube that garnered already 50,000 views in the last hour it had been up. The video showed Dan and Danny slugging it out in the street before heading off into the office building. He was replaying the video for a third time when there was a knock at the door to his bachelor's apartment. With his eyes still glued to the video on his computer screen, Garrett stood up and answered the door.

The young man gasped in shock at the sight of Danny with a spectacular black eye blooming being half carried inside by a young woman with black hair that was tied back in ponytail.

"Danny!? What happened? Have you seen the video of you fighting that ghost that floating all over the web?! It'll have half-a-million views by tomorrow!" Garrett rambled on as Dani lay her charge down on the couch in Garrett's living room.

"Calm down, Bobby!" Danny groaned as he hit the soft sofa.

"I told you, you should have gone to a hospital" Dani muttered as she inspected the burn on Danny's arm.

After hearing this, Garrett seemed to actually notice Danny's condition.

"Jeez man, you look like hammered shi…uhhh…you look real bad" he stopped himself before stating his intended expletive, shooting an apologetic look at Dani.

Said clone actually laughed. "Doesn't like to cuss in front of women? There _are_ still some gentlemen left" she observed. Garrett blushed at her words.

"Garrett this is Danielle, she's my…ahhh…cousin" Danny explained, earning a look from Dani. "Look, I don't feel like explaining it all to him right now" he said with an exhausted sigh.

"What the heck is going on, you're all over the news and internet" Garrett explained, shifting his focus to Danny.

At this piece of news, the injured man swore under his breath before letting out a grunt of pain as Dani accidentally put a bit too much pressure on his burn.

"How did they get a video of me?" he inquired after the short wave of pain had passed.

"Oh, I didn't explain? How remiss of me. YOU WERE DUKING IT OUT WITH SOME GHOST IN DOWNTOWN CHICAGO! OF COURSE THERE WERE VIDEOS!" Garrett started in a calm, sarcastic tone and then shifted to a loud and angry one.

"Instead of sitting there yelling about stuff, why don't you get some balm and gauze for the burn that Danny's sustained" Danielle growled, standing up and looking Garrett right in the eye.

Danny was impressed with how quickly Bobby's opposition dried up at the look Dani was giving him. He muttered something that Danny could hear and walked off toward the kitchen while his young clone went back to examining the male Halfa's injuries.

"You were lucky you know. Most people wouldn't survive a beating like that" she pointed out with an anxious sigh.

"Most people aren't half-ghost" Danny retorted with a grin.

"Just because you're a Halfa, doesn't mean you're invincible, Danny. You really need to go to a hospital."

"Look, I already told you I'm fine. And besides, I can't go to the hospital, they might…" Danny started to explain his true reasons for avoiding medical care, but fell silent.

"They might recognize you and turn you in?" Dani finished it for him.

"It's bad enough that that video is circulating around." Danny confirmed with a nod.

"Well, you can't stay here" Garrett announced as he reentered the living room, carrying the first aid supplies that Danielle had requested.

"I didn't plan to, I just needed to stop by and pick up the PGP" Danny explained, attempting to sit up, but Dani held him down.

"Wait, what's the PGP?" she demanded.

"Portable Ghost Portal, me and Danny developed it together." Garrett explained, still looking at Danny in curiosity, "but what do you need it for?"

"We have to reach the Clock Tower."

"But why?"

"Bobby, I can't explain _everything_ okay! Just get me the damn PGP!" Danny's impatience got the better of him and he snapped at his friend.

"Please" Dani added, shooting an angry look at Danny for his behavior.

The young man saw this look and sighed. "Sorry" he apologized to Garrett, who nodded before heading off into the kitchen once more.

Dani dressed her host's wounds as best she could (which was actually fairly decent since she had signed up for survival course in her twenties). Both she and Danny stayed silent as she did this. Just as Dani was finishing up, Garrett reappeared holding a small device that reminded her of an ice cream cone. It was rounded at the top and tapered off into a cone shape at the other end.

"Does it still work?" Danny questioned as he stood, and this time Dani let him.

"No idea, we haven't tested it since the first day we finished it." Garrett replied with a shrug.

"Guess we'll find out." The latter muttered as he aimed the pointed end of the device at the wall. He pushed a small blue button on its side and a ghost portal immediately sprang open on said wall.

"C'mon" Danny gestured for Dani to follow him as he walked toward the glowing green swirl of energy.

"Wait, what should I do if people come by asking about you?" Garrett called after him.

"Tell them I've left town" Danny responded with a grin as the green energy enveloped him and Danielle. In moments, they were gone.

"Yeah, great, just great. Leave me to clean up the press mess this is going to create. Damn, what am I gonna do?" Garrett thought with a sigh, still staring at the spot on his wall that the two Halfas had vanished through.

* * *

Sam had never liked the big city. She had grown up in small towns for the most part all of her life (her parents preferring the small town atmosphere to that of the big city for privacy purposes) and so it was an environment she was used to. So the hustle and bustle of Chicago much unnerved her. Still, she moved through the hectic traffic to an area of downtown that had been completely roped off by police tape.

This was Sam's first place of inquiry. While on her way to Chicago, Sam had come across an increasingly well known video on YouTube that showed Danny (she knew it was him, he looked almost exactly like Danny). After watching it a few times over and writing down the name on a street sign in one of the frames, Sam had taken a cab straight there.

The place was a total wreck. Tow trucks were busy hauling away destroyed vehicles and the fire department was still trying to put out the remnants of the fire that had engulfed the nearby office building. Whoever the two ghosts had been, it had obviously been one heck of a scrap.

"There's got to be some sort of clue here" Sam thought as she slipped under the police tape while no one was looking.

She scanned through the abandoned automobiles, still searching for something that would lead her to her husband when a voice shouted: "hey you, what do you think you're doing!?"

An angry looking police officer was storming up to Sam, his face beat red.

"I…Uhhh… I'm a detective. I'm just doing a last scan of the area" Sam lied.

The officer's face showed his skepticism. "On yeah, let's see a badge" he demanded.

"How dare you! I should have you written up for treating a superior officer like this!" the young woman shouted angrily, causing the officer to go or skeptical and angry to nervous and unsure.

"Well…I…it's just…protocol ma'am." He stuttered in an apologetic tone.

"Shouldn't you be keeping civilians out of the area?!"

"Uhh, yes ma'am" the officer ran off in a hurry.

"Man what a gullible breed." Sam thought with a grin before going back to searching for evidence of Danny's location.

She searched for several hours, moving from the street and office to the construction site where, by all reports, the fight had ended and both parties had disappeared. Despite her diligent search, Sam found nothing to lead her to Danny's whereabouts. Finally, after at least three hours of searching, she gave in and left the area feeling demoralized.

"This is going to be a lot harder than I thought." She told herself with a sigh as she walked a few blocks to a nearby coffee shop.

Sam had not slept since the Guys in White had knocked her out with sedatives, so she was very tired. After getting herself a double espresso, she sat at the table inside the small shop, sipping at it tentatively.

As she did so her mind wandered.

* * *

_It was a beautiful sunny day, and sunlight streamed into the room in which a nervous Sam paced. She brushed and plucked at the white silky wedding dress she wore. The door suddenly opened, and Danny entered, dressed in a magnificent suit. _

_He smiled upon seeing her. "You look beautiful" he complimented her, watching her dress catch the sunlight that filtered through the room. _

"_You're not supposed to see me in my dress, it's bad luck" Sam exclaimed in alarm. _

_Danny walked over to his future wife with a chuckle. "I'll close my eyes then." He suggested, doing so after stopping just before her. _

_Sam laughed as well before giving him a playful shove. "It's too late now, you've already hexed us" she giggled. _

"_I just couldn't help it, you look amazing" the latter whispered as he drew closer and planted a kiss on Sam's lips. _

_They held that kiss for several minutes, each content to simply stay like such forever. However, Danny eventually pulled away with another smile._

"_I'll see you out there" he said, before turning and leaving. _

_Sam watched him go, her heart a flutter. "I love you, more than anything, I love you" she whispered after him. _

_It was the happiest day of her life. Nothing would ever replace it. _

* * *

Sam was shaken from her memory by a loud crescendo of music. One of the coffee shop workers had turned up the TV to listen to the evening news.

"Hello, I'm Tina Wales, tonight's top story, newly elected president Tucker Foley gave his first speech to congress today" the image of a blond haired news anchor turned to that of Tucker, her and Danny's old friend.

He was a young African-American, and looked quite handsome in his suit as he stood at a podium, giving his first State of Union Address.

"He's the youngest President in history, you know" the young man working the coffee counter pointed out to Sam, who he noticed was also watching the report.

"I know, I used to go to school with him." she stated with a small smile at the memories of better days.

"Wow, what was he like?"

"He was smart, but I never pictured him in politics."

"I think that's most presidents." The young latte maker muttered absent mindedly as his attention was drawn back to the television screen.

The report had now shifted to the battle that had occurred in downtown earlier that day.

"The two entities involved in the disturbance have not been identified. However, the smaller of the two has been seen before. Our reporter managed to get an interview with a Mr. Jack Scissum who claims to have been saved by this mysterious entity.

The image changed to a middle aged man in a hospital bed.

"He pulled me out the auto-shop I worked in when it was burning and I was wounded. I don't know who he is, but I know he's a good guy" the man insisted to the camera.

"Mr. Scissum is recovering in the Downtown Memorial Hospital from wounds and burns sustained during an attack on his workplace by a local street gang. Only he and two other men who worked at the shop survived: a Mr. Garrett Long and Mr. Daniel Fairburn".

At the mention of 'Daniel Fairburn' Sam's head shot up and she stared at the screen in amazement.

"That's him, it must be." She thought with excitement.

Her luck had finally changed.

* * *

Danny and Dani exited the ghost portal and found themselves in Clockworks tower as Danny had hoped. The steady and loud "tick tock" that resounded throughout the tower was all that could be heard, however.

"Clockwork!?" Danny shouted into the empty tower.

"So how did you make that Portable Ghost Portal device?" Dani inquired.

"I developed the design when I was still working as an engineer. After faking my death, I wanted to complete it somehow so I could get back to the Ghost Zone if I needed to. Still, I couldn't do it on my own, so I revealed my secret to Garrett and asked for his help. So, we worked together and built the thing." Danny explained as the two Halfas continued to search the tower.

"So how long have you had it?" his clone asked with curiosity.

"About a year, maybe more."

At last, Danny satisfied himself that Clockwork was nowhere to be found, and he sat down with an exasperated groan.

"Damn it, where could he have possibly gone?! He's the Master of Time for Christ's sake!" he shouted.

Maybe through there?" Dani drew his attention to an open ghost portal nearby.

Danny stood up and nodded before leading the way to the swirling green whirlpool of energy. They passed through it with ease and found themselves this time in a large open room. Book shelves lined every wall, filled to the brim with books.

"The Ghost Library, why would Clockwork come here?" Danny muttered as he glanced around.

"Jeez, look at the state of this place" Dani pointed out.

It was true, shelves had been overturned and half-burnt books littered the ground. It soon became that a struggle had taken place in the library, though neither Halfa could figure out who the victor had been. That is, until Dani noticed the form ofa shot dressed in a sweater and wearing a scarf laying on the ground nearby.

"Danny" she alerted her companion as she ran over to the injured Ghost Writer.

"Oh my God, Writer!" Danny exclaimed as he too approached his battered friend.

Writer opened his eyes and looked up at his visitors with a groan of pain (several deep cuts were bleeding ectoplasm and he was badly bruised).

"Daniel" he whispered in a horse voice, "you're too late. He's already gone. But he didn't get the book, I didn't tell him where…"

"Shhh, you need to conserve your strength" Danielle insisted as she examined Writer's many wounds.

"Who's already gone? What book?" Danny asked, kneeling down next to the Library's protector and inhabitant.

"Plasmius, he came looking for the book about the Focusing Stone" Writer explained as best he could with his wounds still greatly paining him.

"Plasmius, as in Vlad Plasmius? But he's still drifting in space where I left him" Danny insisted.

Writer shook his head. "No, he's back! And apparently he's really pissed." Said ghost observed with a chuckle that made him only grunt once more at the discomfort of laughing.

"What's so important to Vlad about this Focusing Stone?" Dani questioned as she stood back up from examining Writer.

"You have to read the book to…find…out." The ghost's eyes closed and he slipped into unconsciousness.

"Is he dead…err…super dead?" the young woman inquired, turning it Danny with a horrified look.

"No, he's just tired. C'mon, we gotta find this book he was talking about" Danny replied urgently, looking around for somewhere to start.

He did not have to look far. The Library, a entity all its own, with its own will, suddenly opened up a nearby bookshelf to reveal a passage going downward. Though a little apprehensive at first, the two Halfas began to make their way down the steps that had been revealed to them. As the darkness grew, Danny ignited a small orb of ecto-energy in his hand to provide some light.

The staircase went down many yards. It was easily a good ten minutes later that they at last reached the bottom. Here, an alternative source of light allowed Danny to extinguish his own source. The light came from a large open chamber, illuminated by torches that burned with a green flame. In the center of the chamber was a pedestal on which sat a brown book with an old, rotten cover.

Danny and Dani approached the pedestal cautiously. When they had reached it, Danny took the book in his hands. There was no illustration, and the only visible thing on the front was some faded markings that, evidently, were supposed to mean something, but neither could read them.

"What is that?" Dani whispered as she stared at the dusty square.

"The Book of the Focusing Stone, one of the oldest works in the Ghost Zone" Clockwork's voice sounded off to their right, and both Halfas jumped in surprise.

The white haired ghost emerged from the shadows with a grim look on his face.

"You could give a warning" Danny muttered in annoyance.

"I see you decided to come out of retirement after all" Clockwork observed, a grin forming in the edges of his lips.

"What's all of this book business about?" the subject of Clockwork's stare demanded, tying to change the subject.

"The book tells the story of the creation of, as well as any information on, the Focusing Stone" the Master of Time explained, gesturing toward the yellowing pages of the text.

Danny opened the book, gave it a brief scan and shook his head.

"It's in this weird language. I can't read it" he announced grimly.

"Can't you?" Dani asked Clockwork hopefully.

"I wish I could" he replied with a sigh.

"Wait a minute, you're the Master of Time. You should be able to read this" Daniel insisted, holding the book out to Clockwork.

"True, and while I have been so for many a millennia, I have not been so since time began. This ghost language goes beyond even my time." Said ghost continued in an even more melancholy tone, "but we must find someone who can translate it, if we are to thwart Plasmius's plan".

"So, Vlad is back then?" Danny said slowly.

"Yes, and we must stop him, whatever his designs are. You are best at this, so I shall leave you to it. Take the book with you, and keep it safe. For Plasmius seeks it above all else" Clockwork replied, pushing the aged text into Danny's hands more firmly.

Said young man looked down at the book and was struck by an inspiration.

"I think I know who can translate this" he announced suddenly.

"Really?" Dani exclaimed in amazement.

"Yeah, but I'm not gonna like it" Danny muttered as he turned to leave the chamber.

It was time to go home.

* * *

_Thus Sam's search begins. And I'm sure Danny will do all he can to avoid her. Guess you lot will have to decide who to root for. Anyway, the plot is thickening up quite nicely now. Please review and let me know what you think. Cheers. _


	10. Nothing's that easy

Chapter 10

Nothing's that easy

Finding Daniel 'Fairburn' was easier said than done. Despite her best inquires, Sam had been unable to attain an address or anything else of use. Finally, with darkness closing and the horror stories she had heard of what happens to women who wander big cities alone at night in mind, Sam returned to her hotel room (generously paid for by the GIW). Once back in the lavish suite she had been set up in, the raven-haired woman immediately picked up the phone and dialed her home phone number.

"Hello?" Rebecca's voice sounded from the other end of the line.

"Hey 'Becca, it's Sam. I made it to Chicago alright" Sam answered.

"How's the search going?"

"Badly, I don't really want to talk about it. Is Madison there?"

"Yeah, hang on."

There was a clunking noise and, after a few minutes, Madison's voice sounded.

"Mommy?"

"Hey sweetie, how are you?" Sam inquired in light, motherly tone.

"Mommy, where are you?"

"Mommy's in Chicago sweetie, she'll be home in a few days. Do you miss me?"

"Uh huh."

"Mmmm, I miss you too. You sleep good okay?"

"Okay."

After their brief conversation, Madison handed the phone back to Rebecca.

"Hey, so when _will _you be home?" she asked anxiously.

"I don't know. I'm hitting some dead ends, but I know for a fact he is alive." Sam explained in a quiet tone.

There was a brief silence from the other end of the line as these words were processed by Rebecca. Eventually she spoke in a slow tone.

"So…why would he not tell you? Or anyone for that matter?"

"I don't know." Sam whispered.

"So what are you gonna do when you find him?"

This question brought about an odd mixture of emotions in Sam. On one side, she felt almost ecstatic about the prospect of finding Danny alive. On the other, she also felt a sudden, but strong sense of anger.

"I'm either going to kiss him or I'm going to kick his ass" she growled, voicing the two conflicting emotions quite well, "I'll be calling again at some point. Tell Madison I said goodnight" and before Rebecca could answer, Sam had hung up the phone.

Still trying to process the feelings running around in her, Sam decided to simply change into a nightgown and climb into bed. However, she could only toss and turn in the unfamiliar bed as questions and emotions troubled her greatly. She stopped at one point and stared at the empty spot in the bed next to her, remembering all the times she had stared at the empty spot in the bed next to her at home.

The memories of all of those painful night caused tears to well up in Sam's eyes and she began to sob quietly, tears leaking free. Thus she sat in the dark crying quietly to herself as she had done so many times after the funeral of her husband. But now she had found that all her tears had been in vain, the funeral was a sham, and her daughter needlessly knew nothing of her father.

"Damn it Danny, why?" Sam thought in confusion and anger as the tears continued.

"Why, why, why?"

* * *

The next morning, Sam was struck by an inspiration. She looked up Garrett Long, the only other mechanic to survive the burning of the auto-shop aside from Jack and Danny, in the phone book and headed to his address. It was a small bachelor's apartment near downtown, and Sam knocked tentatively on the door. She had expected a massive, greasy behemoth of a man, but instead the door was answered by a slender, tall man with brown hair.

"Hi, can I help you?" the young man greeted the strange young woman with a smile.

"Hi, I'm Sam Fenton. Are you Garrett long?" asked the latter.

At this question, Garrett's face fell a little and he began to close the door.

"Sorry, I'm not doing anymore interviews with the newspaper; I don't know who burned down the shop and…"

"No, no, no Mr. Long! I'm not a reporter" Sam insisted, putting her foot in the doorway.

At this assurance, a look of relief appeared on Garrett's face and he opened the door once more.

"I'm sorry; they've been swamping me since the whole fire thing and all. Yes, I'm Garrett Long, what can I do for you?" he apologized before gesturing for Sam to come in.

Said young woman entered the squalid apartment and followed Garrett into the kitchen where they sat across from each other at a small card table that acted as his dining room table.

"Forgive the furniture, I'm not exactly a man of means." The latter explained as he sat down.

"Strange, you seem to be a very intelligent person" Sam observed, noting his use of vocabulary and wording.

At this Garrett chuckled. "It's true; my parents were very well to do. They sent me to M.I.T. and I graduated with a Masters in Engineering." He explained.

"So why would you be working in an auto-shop?" Sam inquired curiously.

"I found that I didn't like the rat race that came with being a high quality engineer. So, I left and started working here" Garrett continued with a grin, "I've had no regrets about it. I find that I enjoy a frugal lifestyle".

"I wish I had your attitude." Sam admitted with a laugh.

"Well, I digress, what was it you were going to ask me?" Garrett asked after he and Sam had a good laugh together.

"Right, I'm looking for someone, I was hoping you could tell me where he might be" Sam stated, her face becoming serious once more.

"Okay, who would that be?"

"Daniel Fairburn."

Sam watched with curiosity as a look of anxiety suddenly crossed Garrett's face and he began to shift nervously.

"Ummmm, may I ask why?" he spoke after a moment's silence.

This time it was Sam's turn to shift uncomfortably. On one end, the connection between her and Danny was really none of this man's business. On the other hand, he already looked unsure about talking to her about it, and keeping her reasons for looking for Danny a secret might only make him more uneasy about giving away his location. After thinking on it for a minute or so, Sam let out a sigh.

"I think he may be my dead husband." She admitted in a somber voice.

Once again, Sam's curiosity was piqued by the flash of anxiety and panic that crossed Garrett's face at her words.

"What's he so nervous about" she wondered.

"I…uhh…I knew Fairburn, but we weren't close friends or anything" Garrett explained in a shaky voice.

"He's lying." A voice in Sam's mind told her as she continued to stare blankly at him.

"Well, can you at least tell me an address of where he lived?"

"Ummm, again, I don't really know him that well so…"

Sam's temper got the better of her. But she couldn't help it. She could practically smell the bullshit on Garrett as she stood up and stared down at him angrily. The guilty look on his face fed this rage.

"I already told you, I'm not a reporter. All I'm trying to do is find my husband, SO WHY ARE YOU LYING TO ME!" Sam's voice grew to a shout.

Garrett could give no reply; the sight of this young woman who looked as though she was about to break down crying caused his defenses and will to crumble. Still, his deep sense of loyalty to his friend would not allow him to tell her that Daniel Fairburn and Daniel Fenton were one and the same. Nonetheless, he let out a sigh and gave in on one of her demands.

"He lives at 2346 Maitland Street. Apartment 4B." he revealed at last in a quiet voice.

This sudden caving in left Sam speechless for a moment, and she simply stared at Garrett in shock. Said mechanic could not bring himself to look Sam in the eye.

"Thank you" she whispered, and then left without another word.

Garrett continued to stare at the surface of his kitchen table, even after he heard the front door of his apartment shut after Sam.

"Jesus Danny, you never said you had a wife." he thought bitterly.

* * *

_Danny felt the pain rocket through him as a beam of energy hit him square in the chest, sending the Halfa against a hard concrete wall. He was in ghost form, and stood to face his opponent, another ghost who was grinning down at him. The two foes were fighting inside a large, abandoned building somewhere in Downtown Amity Park, where a disturbance had called Danny away from work. _

_That disturbance was a Class 5 specter, one of the more powerful classes of the type. The specter shot another beam at Danny, but this time he dodged it before firing his own at the evil entity. It struck the ghost, but it simply shook it off with a cold grin. _

"_Is that all you got?" it chastised him with a laugh. _

"_No, WE ALSO HAVE THIS!" a voice shouted from behind the specter, which turned to see _her _and Sam, each holding a Fenton Ghost Stunner. They looked like small tazers, but fired bolts of energy that caused the molecular structure of a ghost to freeze. _

She _fired the first shot, but the specter managed to dodge it. Nonetheless, both _she _and Sam began to fire a barrage of energy bolts at the ghost. Said target was so busy dodging these shots that he did not notice Danny who flew up and grabbed the specter in a headlock. _

_Despite feeling confident that he had the ghost under control now, Danny soon found just how wrong he was. The evil entity let out a furious roar and flung Danny back across the room. Then, with an evil laugh, the ghost flew off through the ceiling of the building. But, rather than turning himself intangible, the ghost simply busted his way through the ceiling, leaving a large gaping hole. _

_There was a cracking and rumbling noise that seemed to permeate the whole building, and large chunks of rubble began raining from the ceiling. Danny's mind was drawn back to a sign he had seen on the building just before he had entered to confront the specter. The sign had read: _"Warning! Do not enter! Building condemned due to instability!"

_Horrified, Danny began running toward his wife and _her.

"_Get out!" he screamed above the din of noise as the building started to collapse, "GET OUT NOW!" _

_Sam was shouting something to Danny, and _she _was looking on in horror. Suddenly, a large chunk of the ceiling fell between Danny and the two women, and he fell backward. _

"_NOOOOOOO" he screamed desperately as the building caved in all around him, "NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" _

* * *

Danny's eyes shot open and he sat up, breathing heavily. He glanced around and realized that he was sitting on a Greyhound Bus. Dani sat in the chair next to him and she looked at him in concern.

"What's wrong" she asked.

"Nothing, nothing, just a bad dream." Danny assured her as he leaned back in his seat with a sigh.

"Do you wanna talk about it?"

Danny laughed. "Are you a therapist now?" he asked with mirth.

"No, but talking helps sometimes." Dani replied in a dead serious tone.

Danny thought about it for a few minutes, then let out another sigh, this time a deeper one.

"It was about that day. About Sam and…_her_" he explained tentatively.

"It wasn't your fault" Dani insisted.

"You told me that a hundred times on the way up to Chicago. I made my decision, and you did decide to help me after all."

"Doesn't mean I agreed with the decision, Danny. Running from your guilt won't make it go away."

"Thanks for the advice Dr. Freud." Danny rolled his eyes in annoyance at this familiar lecture.

"Fine then, why don't you explain to me your reasoning behind it all. I'd love to hear it" Dani hissed angrily.

Danny stayed silent for a moment as he considered the demand.

"I saw them in the hospital. They covered _her _up though. They pronounced _her _dead as soon as she got to the hospital. Sam…oh God Sam…she two broken bones in one arm and god knows what else. I visited her in the hospital later but she was asleep. Looking at her in that bed, I realized that it could have just as easily been her laying on a slab in the morgue like…like…" Danny found himself unable to continue.

"So that's why you left, why you let them think you were dead?"

"I did it to protect her. _She _died helping me. I couldn't bear the idea of Sam meeting the same fate." the young man whispered, his chest feeling like it had been set on fire as he recalled the painful memories.

This time it was Dani's turn to sigh. She did not agree with what Danny had done by any means. Still, she felt pity for the way things had been going for her "big brother". He had been though a lot and it had all near about broken him. Most of all, Danielle knew what it was like to be in Danny's position. The feelings of guilt and helplessness were all too familiar to the clone.

"So how long's it been since you saw the folks?" Dani inquired in an attempt to change the subject.

"Four years, they think I'm dead remember." The Halfa replied.

"Well, this should be interesting" Dani thought, but she said nothing more aloud.

Eventually, the bus pulled into Amity Park (it wasn't too long of a ride from Chicago to Amity Park; after all, both were on Lake Michigan). After disembarking, Danny headed straight for his old home. It was a creepy sense of Déjà vu, and what made it all the harder was that Danny had to hide his face during the walk to the Fenton residence (after all, many people knew who he was here).

They reached the old Fenton home, and it looked almost exactly the same, save for some new equipment that had been added to the roof.

"So what are you going to tell them?" Dani asked, a little nervous at the prospect of seeing Jack and Maddie again.

"Haven't quite figured that out yet" Danny muttered as they approached the front door.

"Well, this isn't going to be easy."

"It never is."

Danny rang the doorbell and, after several minutes, the door was answered by an elderly Maddie with grey hair. She was smiling at first, but one look at her son's face wiped it clean off, and she gasped.

"Hi mom" Danny whispered with a weak smile.

* * *

_Despite it being a rather short and unactiony chapter, this chapter was important. We learned more about Garrett, more about the accident and Danny's reason for leaving. Also, I've begun to notice a lot more people using the term 'Hellbent' in their story summaries so at least I left behind some sort of legacy :). Please respond to my work in a review if you wish. It lets me know if the story is going the way I want it to. Cheers. _


	11. What I mourn

Chapter 11

What I mourn

At first, Maddie could only stare at her son in disbelief. Danny looked back at his mother as calmly as he could possibly keep himself. Dani stood off to the side, shifting nervously at the uncomfortable silence. Finally, after some time of just staring in shock at the son she believed she had lost, Maddie spoke.

"You're dead, they buried you" she whispered.

"They buried a coffin. They didn't bury me." Danny countered in a quiet voice of his own.

Maddie continued to stare at Danny in confusion. Finally, her face changed and she appeared to have figured it all out.

"You're a ghost. That's pretty ironic." The elderly woman muttered as she reached off to one side and pulled out a Fenton Ghost Detector.

"Mom, I'm not a ghost and I'm not dead" Danny insisted, actually laughing at the idea.

"The detector says otherwise." his mother observed, waving the device over him and listening to it beep.

"Mom, I'm still a Halfa, of course it's going to go off!" he reminded her with a smile.

The silence descended on them again as Maddie could only stare at the device in her hand. Finally, Danny stepped forward and lifted up his mother's head so he was staring in her eyes.

"Mom, do I look like a ghost?" he whispered.

Maddie looked deep into her son's light blue eyes and smiled. Then, without warning, she swept him up in a hug that was so tight, Danny was amazed she had that kind of strength at her age.

"Danny, oh my God, Danny! My boy!" Maddie choked out through the tears that had begun to rain down from her eyes.

Dani watched the whole thing unfold and had to try very hard not to break down crying herself. It was brief, the small moment between mother and son. When it was over, Maddie pulled back with a look of puzzlement on her face.

"Where have you been?" she asked.

Danny laughed at this question. "It's a long story" he replied.

"I…can't believe you're alive." The elderly Fenton stated, unable to tear her eyes away from her son. Suddenly, an excited expression appeared on her lips. "Does Sam know? We have to call her, we…" Maddie started to move inside toward the phone, but Danny grabbed her hand.

"NO!" he actually shouted it, causing both Maddie and Dani to jump.

"Wha…what?" his mother was becoming more confused by the minute, "Sam thinks you're dead. She's been thinking it for the last four years. Why would you hide from your wife?"

Danny let out a deep sigh and looked down at the ground, unable to meet his mother's piercing gaze.

"Like I said, it's a long story. Can I just come in?" he said finally.

After looking at Danny for several seconds in silence, Maddie stepped off to one inside, allowing him and Dani to enter. They did so with all speed and Maddie shut the door behind them.

None of them noticed the man in dressed in a dark suit sitting in a car just down the street watching as they all headed inside the Fenton home. Once his targets were out of sight, the man took out a cell phone and dialed a certain number.

"Hello?" a distinctly feminine voice answered the ringing phone.

"Miss Gray, we've located the book." The dark suited man reported as he continued to watch the Fenton doorway.

* * *

Vlad sat at small table on which a chess board had been set up. No one else sat at the table with him, so Vlad moved both the white and black pieces as he made a move, and then countered it as he knew another opponent would. As the evil Halfa continued to play out the match, the sound of approaching footsteps culminated in the door to the room opening and Valerie entering.

"We've heard from Jack. He says that Danny's got the book and he's taken it back to his parent's house." Valerie explained.

Vlad stayed silent and stared at the white king scores the board from him. Finally, he let out a cruel chuckle.

"Daniel's making this all too easy. He doesn't know how to translate the book, so he goes to the most obvious person who can; Maddie. How typical of him. Very well, tell your men to move in as soon as they see an opportunity." Said the evil villain ruthlessly.

"Even if it endangers Maddie's life?" Valerie inquired with raised eyebrows.

There may have been a time that such an argument would have swayed Vlad to more cautious action. However, years in space had hardened him greatly. Vlad had finally decided that Maddie was never going to choose him. She loved Jack, and there was nothing he could do to change that. Therefore, she was expendable.

"No" he said simply, "kill her if necessary to get that book."

Valerie was shocked by this response. In the past, Vlad had always been very insistent that none of his schemes were to harm Maddie or threaten her well being in any way. Vlad noticed the way Valerie was looking at him.

"You wish to speak?" he demanded.

"So that's it then? Just: kill her. No sort of mourning what so ever? No regret?" the young woman gasped incredulously.

Vlad let out a harsh laugh. "Trust me Valerie; there are many things I mourn. That bitch Maddie is not one of them" he growled.

Said CEO only frowned in disgust at the hypocrisy of it all, and turned to leave. However, Vlad's voice stopped her.

"And what is it you mourn, Valerie?" he asked.

She thought about it for a moment before turning to respond. "My honor" was her reply, then she left without another word.

Vlad watched her leave with a shake of his head.

"Best get used to it, woman. Honor is the first thing we billionaires sell to become rich" he called after Valerie.

When she was out of sight, Vlad turned his attention back to the chess board. He moved his knight and grinned.

"Check, Daniel" he thought; "now it's your move."

* * *

Immediately after leaving Garrett's house, Sam traveled to the address she had been given. It was a small apartment that was right next to the street where the fight between the two mysterious entities had broken out, so Sam knew she was on the right trail. However, her knocks on the small apartment's door were not answered.

After waiting for some time, Sam finally tried jiggling the doorknob. To her surprise, the door opened without contest. The apartment was sparsely furnished and had only the main room, kitchen, and bathroom. Inside the kitchen, Sam found an empty bottle of beer sitting next to the kitchen sink. Aside from this bottle however, there was little other indication that someone had been recently living there. Well, in any case, whoever had been living in the apartment was not here now.

"Damn it!" Sam shouted in frustration as she threw the empty bottle across the room.

She then heaved a sigh before sitting down at the kitchen table to ponder her next move.

"Okay, if Fairburn has been here, maybe he had left some sort of clue as to where he might have gone."

With this in mind, Sam began to tear the place apart from the ground up. No drawer was left unopened, chair left unturned, no scrap of paper or any other note left unread. It must have taken her more than an hour, but eventually, she was back where she started; sitting at the kitchen table stewing in frustration at having found nothing.

"Another dead end. Maybe this is all a wild goose chase. Maybe they got it wrong. I mean, there are a lot of people in this world who look a lot like another person. Maybe this was all a bad coincidence. Maybe…" Sam was pondering over these possibilities when something caught her eye.

That something was the corner of a piece of paper that was hidden in a small crack between the kitchen counter and the back wall. She stood up and walked over to the spot before pulling the piece of paper out and looking down at it. For the next few minutes, Sam did nothing but stare at what was on the paper. As she continued to do so, her hands began to shake and tears weld up in her violet eyes.

The paper was a photograph which showed a young man with black hair and light blue eyes in a tuxedo standing next to a young woman with black hair and violet eyes in a wedding dress. They were both smiling and holding each other close. It was Sam and Danny's wedding photo.

It had never seemed real to Sam, the idea that Danny was still alive. Sure, she had seen the video, heard the evidence from the GIW. But some part of her had refused to believe it, refused to acknowledge that her husband was not gone. Now however, the photo she held in her hand drove the idea home for Sam. Only she and Danny had a copy of the photo, no one else. There was no other possibility: Daniel Fairburn and Daniel Fenton were one and the same.

Sam continued to cry over the captured scene from one of the happiest days of her life, perhaps for minutes, perhaps for hours, she did not know nor care. Finally, after her tear ducts had been drained dry, and she could make no more sobs, Sam stood up, her resolve renewed in full.

She was going to find Danny. No matter what, if it took her the rest of her life, Sam Fenton would find her husband.

"And when I do, he better have a damn good explanation" said young woman thought as she left the apartment, the tear soaked photo still lying on the kitchen counter.

* * *

It took some time, and much explanation, for Danny to finally bring his mother up to speed on all of what had happened in the four years they had been out of contact. When this was all over, Maddie simply looked at him with an expression that Danny could not read.

"So…if you're not here to come out of hiding, why are you here?" she demanded at last.

"It's about this" Dani, after remaining respectfully silent throughout Danny's explanations, finally spoke up as she pulled the book out of the backpack she had on her.

Maddie took the book and opened it before scanning over the first few pages. "Mhmmmm, uh huhhhh, Hmmmm. This text has been written in some old form of ghoulish, I'd say well before the Stone Age even." she noted with a tone of interest.

"So, can you translate it?" Dani inquired hopefully.

At this request, Maddie's face fell. "It's a _very _old form. I can do my best, but I can't guarantee anything" she replied solemnly.

"Still, can you at least try?" Danny begged her.

His mother thought about it a moment, then nodded before gesturing them to follow her. The group made their way to the door leading down to the basement where the Fenton laboratory was located. Once downstairs, Danny found that most of the old equipment had been shutdown and packed away.

"After we moved your father into the home, I decided to put most of the ghost equipment in storage. I'm just getting to old for that sort of thing." Maddie explained, gesturing toward the machinery that had been covered in white sheets.

Even before his son had faked his own death, Jack Fenton had been struggling with Alzheimer's disease, which was slowly causing the elderly man to lose his memory. After Danny's "passing", Jack had taken a turn for the worse and Maddie was forced to move her husband into a Retirement home.

Danny could see the pain in his mother's eyes as she gazed around at the old machines lying around gathering dust. Maddie had always been a technical wiz and a passion ghost researcher, but now her age was catching up to her and she simply did not have the energy she once did.

Now, as his mother took book and began to read over it (referring every now and then to some notes she had saved on an old computer she managed to boot up), Danny wandered about the lab, looking at all of the old machinery and equipment. It brought back a lot of memories.

One in particular caught his eye. It was a large circular shaped device covered by a white sheet. Danny pulled this sheet off, revealing the machine to be the old Fenton Ghost Portal. He looked the old portal over in an almost hypnotic way as memory after memory bombarded his mind's eye. He closed his own eyes as the most prominent memory came back to him.

It was as if he was there again. He felt the cold latex of the protective suit he slid over himself as he stared into the machine on the day of its first test.

"_I wouldn't do it, Danny. What if you get hurt?" _Tucker's voice echoed in Danny's brain.

"_And what if I fix it?" _Danny had retorted.

The memories of the sensations followed: the suffocating darkness, the sounds of Danny's breathing, his attempt to find the side wall of the ghost portal to use it as a guide to the center, the feeling of his hand landing on some small object, the small 'click' that followed, the bright light, and, most of all, the pain. An excruciating, unyielding pain that to this day Danny could not describe in words.

Danny opened his eyes and looked back into the depths of the portal.

"This was it." He thought, "This was the crossroads of my life. How different it could've been. I could've taken one more step forward before putting my hand on the wall, I could have shifted my hand a little to the left, and I could have missed the 'on' button all together."

"But you didn't do those things" a voice reminded him. "You didn't take one more step; you didn't shift your hand. You were where you were, you did what you did. And now here you are."

Danny was interrupted from his thoughts by Maddie's voice.

"Huh, what?" he said aloud.

"I said: this may take a while. You should go see your father." The elderly woman repeated with a bit of annoyance.

After a few seconds, Danny nodded in agreement, and headed toward the basement stairs. He stopped at the bottom of them and looked back.

"Do you wanna come?" he asked Dani.

Said clone shook her head. "No, I'll stay here with your mom. I'll text you if we find out anything important." she replied.

"You can take my car; the keys are on the hook in the kitchen." Maddie called to her son as he headed up the stairs.

Danny said nothing in return, but found the keys before heading out into the driveway. The old Fentonmobile had long since met its end in the junkyard. The new vehicle was a small Honda that Maddie had simply so she could access to a vehicle if needed. Danny took the car and started off toward the Cedar Grove Rest Home. However, he made a slight detour on the way there. There was someone else he had to see.

He eventually pulled into a parking lot at the local cemetery. It had begun to drizzle as Danny got out of the car and he looked up at the gray overcast sky.

"Rain, how cliché" he thought, as the young man moved among the rows of headstones.

He stopped just in front of a certain pair of stone, and looked at both of them. One read:

_Daniel Fenton_

_1990-2021_

_Beloved son, devoted husband_

Danny only paid attention to this one briefly. It felt strange, looking at his own gravestone and not being in the grave. His gaze soon shifted to the other stone, which he gave a small smile at.

"Hey there." He whispered to the stone. "I know we haven't spoken in a while, but ever since that day…well…I haven't been able to visit much. You'd probably be unhappy with me, but I was just trying to do what was right".

The rain started to pick up, and Danny's tears were starting to fall with it.

"I'm sorry that I got you killed. It's eaten away at me the last four years, and I just can't seem to get away from it." He confessed tearfully, actually falling to his knees before the stone.

"Please, forgive me" he whispered quietly through the rain that was now pouring down in sheets.

On the small stone were these words:

_Jasmine Fenton_

_1988-2021_

_Beloved Daughter, devoted wife and mother_

* * *

_Normally, I would have comments, but not this time. I want to read your comments, so please review. I will say this though: yes, I know the rain was a bit cliche, so sue me. Happy reading. Cheers. _


	12. Progress or a lack there of

Chapter 12

Progress or a lack there of

Maddie had worked silently for a greater amount of the time in which she read line after line of the book and did her best to translate it. Danni paced the space in front o the able anxiously during this time. Maddie would occasionally mutter things, though they were more to herself than to Danni. Still, this did not keep the young clone's head from shooting up into alert every time Maddie muttered something under her breath. At one point, Maddie once again spoke briefly to herself, and Danni once again looked up at her expectantly. The elderly Fenton managed to flash an amused grin and shook her head.

"You may as well sit down and try to calm yourself, Danielle. Worrying about it isn't going to make this go any faster." She wisely suggested to the younger woman.

Dani smiled sheepishly at her behavior. "Sorry" she muttered, sitting down in one of the rolling chairs.

"So, how long have you known?" Maddie asked suddenly.

"Huh?" Dani was caught off guard by the question.

"You weren't showing any sort of reaction to Danny still being alive. Thus, I can conclude you already knew he was long before I did."

The latter was unable to meet Maddie's gaze. After a few minutes of hard thinking, Dani let out a sigh.

"Since the beginning, I gave him a ride to Chicago that night." She admitted quietly.

To Dani's surprise, Maddie only nodded her head and then went back to translating.

"You're not…angry?"

"Danny asked you for help, and you helped him. He's the only one who can explain his motivation behind hiding. I already know your motivation." Maddie replied with a shrug.

"W…what was my motivation?" Dani inquired.

"Loyalty" said the elderly woman.

"So what was Danny's motivation then?"

"I'm not sure, but I plan to find out." Just as she was saying these words, a look of satisfaction came over Maddie's face and she gathered up her scribbling and walked across the lab toward one of the old computers.

"Good, I'm finished." She announced as she did so.

"You translated the whole book?"

"Good Lord no! That would take years to do by hand. No, I've managed to identify the pattern in the text." Maddie explained as she switched on the computer and an old document scanner which she hooks up to the PC.

"You see, Ghoul language uses a certain pattern, just like all of our human words contain at least one vowel, and certain combinations of letter make certain sounds, like 'ch' making a "chuh" sound. By indentifying the patterns in the writing in the book, I can enter the patterns into the computer and it will scan and translate the book in minutes." she went on as she entered some information into the computer before placing each page of the book on the scanner.

Danielle looked on, fascinated by it all. The computer did just as Maddie had promised it would. They both watched as page after page was translated into English. Well, almost every page. Dani noticed several large gaps in the translations.

Maddie noticed this also, and she swore under her breath. "Damn, I was afraid of this!"

"What's the problem?"

"Older Ghoul languages sometimes use several different patterns. I wasn't able to identify all of them, so the computer isn't able to translate everything." Dr. Fenton explained.

"So…what do we do now?" Dani asked slowly.

"Call Danny and tell him that the translation is more or less done, I'll see what I can work out while he's returning." Maddie suggested absentmindedly as she typed over the lines of text on the computer, gazing through the glasses she now wore.

Dani didn't understand what Maddie meant by her words, but took out her cell and pressed Danny name on the speed dial.

"This thing just gets more complicated by the minute. I could be grading Periodic Table tests right now" she thought as the phone rang.

* * *

The white halls of the Amity Park Retirement Castle were almost disorientating as Danny was led through them and into one of the leisure rooms. Everything was white, the patients wore white clothes, the orderlies' uniforms were white, even the walls were white. Danny immediately spotted a large built man with grey hair that was starting to thin. He was seated at a table scribbling on a sheet of paper. An entire stack of blank sheets sat on the table next to the old man.

"Here's Mr. Fenton, sir. If you need anything, just let us know." The orderly who had led Danny to his father explained, gesturing toward the hunched over hulk of a man.

"Thanks." Danny nodded to the man before walking over and taking a seat in front of Jack.

Jack was mumbling to himself and writing out formulas on the sheet of paper before him. Suddenly, he let out a grunt of frustration and crumpled up the paper into a ball before getting a new sheet and starting again, writing the same formulas.

"That's not right, that's not right. Where's those equations Vlad said he'd write out." He mumbled as he did so.

"Dad?" Danny asked softly, but Jack made no indication he even noticed his son.

"Dad?" this time it was louder, and Jack looked up at Danny in surprise.

"Oh, hello there. Have you seen Vlad anywhere?" the elderly man asked with a friendly smile.

"Uhhh, no, do you not recognize me?"

Jack scrunched his eyes at the young man. However, after a few seconds, he shook his head. "Nope sorry, have you seen Vlad?"

Danny sat staring at the confused man who sat before him. Jack Fenton had been a well respected, if somewhat slow, scientist in his day. Now, here he was, Danny doubted that his father even knew what year it was.

"I love you dad." He whispered, but Jack had gone back to writing his formulas and muttering to himself, "and I'm so sorry".

Danny stood, unable to watch the sad scene any longer. He walked a few feet from Jack, when the delusional old man looked up suddenly and shouted after him: "these formulas aren't right!"

Said younger man stooped and turned to his father in surprise.

"Something…something could go wrong" Jack continued, furrowing his eyebrows in an attempt to concentrate.

"Yeah, it could. Take care of yourself, dad" Danny whispered, before tuning and leaving without looking back.

Once outside, Danny stopped and sat down on a bench. He was fighting hard to keep the tears from escaping his eyes. His father's condition had not been an easy thing to see. He was still sitting when his phone went off.

"Hello?" Danny answered it, his voice cracking a little from his weak emotional state.

"Danny? It's Danielle, your mom says she's just about done all she can with the book, but there's still some problems. You better get back here as soon as you can." The voice of his female counterpart sounded from the other end of the line.

"Alright, I'll be there as soon as I can." Danny replied hoarsely.

"You okay?" Dani could hear the anguish in Danny's voice.

"I'm fine, I'll be there soon." The latter retorted, and then hung up before Dani could reply.

Danny let out a loud sigh, not moving at first as he pondered his next move. Finally, he concluded that he and Dani were going to need some help, and so he scrolled through his phone list until he found the name he was looking for and pressed 'dial'.

The phone began to ring…

* * *

Garrett was seated at his computer working on an employment application for the local engineering branch for Navistar (after all, he needed to get a job somewhere) when a loud pounding on his door made him jump.

The incessant wrapping continued as he stood up and practically ran to the apartment door. He looked through the little peephole and was surprised to see Sam looking very irate. Despite his better judgment, Garrett opened the door, and Sam barged her way in, huffing, puffing, and absolutely boiling with rage.

"Where is he?!" she demanded furiously.

"Who?" Garrett asked, although he already knew the answer.

"Danny, my husband, I know you know he's my husband because you were so nervous when I came by earlier!"

"Mrs. Fenton, I have no idea where your husband is at. He's dead isn't he? He…"

"DON'T PULL THAT LINE OF BULLSHIT WITH ME! YOU KNOW WHERE HE IS! WHERE IS HE!?" Sam practically screamed it at the top of her lungs.

Garrett, despite being a bit taller and probably more bulky then Sam, actually took a step back in fear as Sam moved closer. Her eyes were absolutely _burning _with anger.

"Look…he's...I'm sure he had his reasons, and…" Garrett couldn't even form a whole sentence.

"WHERE!"

"He's in Amity Park, alright! He's in Amity Park!" Garrett's own voice actually became a shout in response.

He regretted revealing his friend's location right away, but it was too late to take it back. Sam stared at him in silence for a minute before turning and heading toward the apartment door. She stopped briefly and glanced back.

"Thank you." she said with a nod before leaving.

Garrett stared after her in utter shock. It was like a hurricane had come through, and then suddenly left. He strode over and to the door and slammed his fist into it in frustration. Just them, he phone began ringing. Ignoring the pain in his knuckles, Garrett answered the ringing device.

"What is it!?" he snapped angrily.

"Garrett, it Danny, I need your help."

Garrett's first thought was to tell Danny to go do something that he would not say aloud. Frankly, he was downright furious with his friend for keeping Sam a secret and not allowing him to learn about her until she showed up at his door and interrogated him like some kind of criminal. However, he kept his cool, something he prided himself on doing, and simply remained silent.

"I need you to drive to Amity Park, and bring every last scrap of research you and me have on Ghoul Artifacts. I'm sure we're gonna need your help on this." Danny continued.

"Alright, I'll be there in the morning." Garrett said through clenched teeth.

"Okay, great, see you then." If Danny heard the strain in Garrett's voice, he did not appear to acknowledge it and he hung up after these brief words.

Once again, Garrett was torn. One part of him would have liked to have told Danny just what he was thinking just then. However, another side of him insisted that the conversation he wanted to have was one better had in person. So, after a bit more contemplation, Garrett finally decided to do as Danny asked. He got on his computer and downloaded all of him and Danny's research onto a USB drive before heading for the apartment parking garage.

He had a long drive ahead, and a lot to think about on the way.

* * *

Danny returned to the Fenton home after his phone call with Garrett. Maddie and Dani were still in the basement when he arrived.

"So, how'd the translation go?" he asked anxiously.

"We couldn't get all of it. Some of the language is just too old for Maddie to translate." Dani admitted solemnly.

"So…what were you able to get?"

"The book talks about something called the Focusing Stone, but it is not a rock of any kind." Maddie broke in, scanning over the text on the computer screen.

"Then why is it called a "Stone?" Danny asked, puzzled.

"Stone can mean something solid or, in this case, something central. A stone can be the central pillar of something…something important."

"Okay, so what's so important that Vlad would half-kill Writer and trash the library for this book?" Dani stated the question that was on all of their minds.

"I don't know. I wasn't able to translate much beyond that. The best we can do now is take it to Dr. Cartwell." Maddie suggested with a sigh.

"The head of the language department at the College? What can he possibly do?" Dani inquired, knowing the well respected Dr. Cartwell personally.

"He spends his free time studying Ghoul languages, it's something me and him used to do together before we went to separate colleges as young adults. He may be able to fill in the blank spots. It's the best I can suggest." Maddie replied, shrugging as she handed the book back to Danny.

"It's too late to go now; Dr. Cartwell will have gone home for the evening."

"True, you two are welcome to stay the night here. Both Danny's and Jazz's old rooms are guest rooms now."

Danny felt odd about staying in his old room, but after some convincing by Dani, he agreed. Mrs. Fenton led the two Halfas up to the old bedrooms and, after saying a brief goodnight, Dani had retreated to her guest room utterly exhausted. Danny however, remained awake and went down stairs with his mother. She turned and looked at him in silence for a few minutes. Finally, she spoke.

"Do you want a glass of milk? It always helped you sleep when you were a child." She suggested earnestly.

Danny nodded before sitting down at the small kitchen table. Maddie poured two glasses of milk, handed one to Danny, and then sat down across from him. They sipped their milk quietly at first, no conversation presenting itself. At last Maddie could take the tense silence no longer and she broke it tentatively.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" she whispered.

"About what?"

"Your father, you being in hiding all of these years, something that will help me understand…"

Danny set his cup down with a sigh. "She was always so much smarter than me. Hell, she was better than me at a lot of things."

"Jazz?"

"She died, mom. She died and it was my fault. Jesus Christ, she had a husband and kids." Danny buried his face in his hands, trying to fight back the wave of tears he felt coming on.

Maddie remained silent for a moment, and then spoke in a quiet but firm tone.

"It was not your fault. She knew the risks; it was her choice, not yours."

"She was helping me."

"Daniel, you can't blame yourself for it. No more than I could blame myself. Right after we learned you were the ghost boy, it used to terrify me every time you had to go out and fight a ghost. I was afraid you would not come back. But I did not stop you, because it was your choice to brave that danger. A mother's protection can only go so far. You have to make your decisions about what you think is right in the face of danger. Jasmine made her choice; you did not make it for her." Maddie said softly, placing a comforting hand on Danny's.

"I saw Sam in the hospital. I went to see her right after I saw Jazz, but she was knocked out on drugs. I sat with her for hours thinking. I couldn't stand the idea of her meeting the same fate as Jazz did; Sam deserves a good, long life. So I decided to leave. No one knew I had survived, I chose to keep it that way. I did it to protect Sam, to protect everyone." Danny explained his position as best he could, his voice still cracking from the tears that were tying to force their way through.

Maddie stood up and walked over to her son, embracing him in a tight hug. Tears were flowing down the elderly woman's face and this sight was the last straw for Danny's own tear ducts which unleashed their load.

And so, for a better part of the night, mother and son held each other in their arms, crying to together for the many things that had been lost. Maddie didn't quite understand it, and perhaps she never would. But still, one thing was for sure…

…She was glad to have her son back.

* * *

_A touching family moment I think. Sorry for the lack of action lately, there will be some coming in the next chapter I promise. I figured that with the main mystery of Danny faking his death now solved, people might start to lose interest. Oh, well, review if you can find the time. Cheers. _


	13. Knight takes Bishop

Chapter 13

Knight takes Bishop

The rain had finally stopped the next morning, and even the clouds had rolled on, allowing the sun to shine brightly through the window of Danny's room. He opened his eyes and squinted into the bright ray of sunshine that immediately assaulted them. For a brief moment, Danny wondered if the whole thing had all been some terrible nightmare, and when he got up and looked in the mirror, there would be only a fifteen-year-old boy staring back at him with a crop of messy black hair. He stood and walked over to the large mirror that hung on the far wall and looked into it. No, the same 35-year-old young man stared back at him, dark circles of anxiety and worry under shadowing his bright blue eyes. Nothing had changed.

Danny headed downstairs after dressing in a white and grey plaid t-shirt and a pair of jeans. Maddie and Dani were both already awake, and the former was busy cooking some eggs on the stove.

"Morning sleepyhead, you gonna want some breakfast before heading over to the college this morning?" the elderly woman asked in a tone that reminded Danny of the days when he would wake up on Sunday mornings and Maddie would be cooking her big Sunday Breakfast.

"Sure." He said with grin, sitting down next to Dani.

Dani looked a real mess, two prominent dark circles were under her eyes and she looked exhausted.

"Didn't sleep well?" he asked her.

"I was late trying to make sense of these." Dani muttered, gesturing toward the printouts of the translations from yesterdays, which lay all around her on the table, "all I was able to really get is that whatever this Focusing Stone is, it is really important. It's a hub of some kind, a place where things are received and distributed, like a big sorting room in a post office."

"But you haven't been able to find out what it sorts?"

"No, but it's important whatever it is."

"Dr. Cartwell will be able to figure it out. In the meantime, you two eat up, you'll need your strength today." Maddie, acting like the experienced mother she was, took the papers out of Dani's hands and placed a plate of scrambled eggs and toast in front of the young woman.

"I'm not hungry." Danny insisted, pushing the plate in front of him away.

"C'mon, you need to keep your energy up." Maddie pushed the plate back in front of him, giving his cheek a squeeze.

Dani put a hand over her mouth to keep from spewing eggs all over the table by stifling her laughter. Danny's own face turned red in embarrassment.

"Mooooom." He muttered.

Maddie only grinned at him before heading back to the stove to clean up the pan and other mess.

"I thought it was cute." Dani observed with a wide grin.

"Shut up." Danny growled, shoveling eggs into his mouth.

Dani still giggled slightly as she too continued eating. When they had both finished and Maddie had cleared away the plates, Danny took out his cell and sent a text to Garrett that read: _"Meet us in the Language Department at Amity Park Community College."_

"Alright, Garrett's gonna meet us at the college. We better get going." Danny announced, standing up and heading toward the front door.

"Will you be back?" Maddie called after him, causing Danny to stop and turn to face her.

"I don't know." He admitted after a minute.

Maddie, hearing this, walked over to her son and gave him a tight, endearing hug. "Be safe." She whispered in his ear.

Danny hugged her back, and gave a small nod at her words. "I love you, mom." He replied.

They separated, and Maddie watched with a pained look as Danny and his female counterpart left the house.

"Good luck" she said quietly.

* * *

The sun's rays burned Sam's tired eyes as she looked out the bus window at Amity Park. She had gotten on a late bus back from Chicago the previous night, and was glad to finally see home again. As soon as the town had come into view, Sam took out her phone and dialed Rebecca.

"Hello?" her friend's voice sounded over the line.

"Becca, it's Sam. I'm back in Amity Park. I'll be picking Madison up from Daycare today." Sam explained.

"You're back? Did you find Danny?" Rebecca sounded surprised by this sudden piece of news.

"He's here, he's right here in Amity Park."

"Oh my God! What does he look like? I might run into him."

"You've seen photos."

"Yeah, but maybe he's changed. You never know."

"Look, just drop Madison off at daycare and let me worry about Danny." Sam huffed irritably.

"Ok, ok, fine, I was just trying to help." Rebecca retorted, sounding a trifle hurt.

"I know, I'm sorry, I'm just really stressed right now." Sam apologized with a sigh.

Rebecca gave her own sigh from the other end of the phone before continuing. "I'll drop her off. Take care of yourself Sam."

"I will, I'll talk to you later. Bye." With that, Sam hung up and went back to staring out the bus window.

There was one great problem facing her now. How was she going to find Danny? It may not have been as big as Chicago, but Amity Park was still a large town (it had experienced a large amount of growth over the years). Still, Danny was well known in the town. Maybe if she kept her ears open, something might come up.

"Strange, it's been four years and now he's right here in Amity Park." She observed, still staring unblinkingly at the approaching town, "but I've got to find him, I've _got _to."

* * *

The college was a lot emptier in the mornings than at other times in the day. Dani explained that this was due to many of the students holding part time jobs, and therefore coming in later after work. This meant that both Danny and Danielle had an easy time making their way to the language department that morning. They entered and found it occupied by only a balding man with white hair around the sides of his head. The man turned to the two visitors when the they entered and smiled.

"Danielle, how are you?" he asked cheerfully.

"I'm well, Dr. Cartwell." Dani replied with a smile, shaking her colleague's outstretched hand.

"And whose this young man?" the latter asked, gesturing toward Danny who stood a few feet away.

"This is Danny, he's a friend of mine."

"Sir." Danny stepped forward and shook Cartwell's hand as well.

"So, what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?" the professor asked, turning to Dani once more.

"We need your help with this book. My mo…uhhh…Dr. Fenton said that you could help translate it." Danny was the one who answered, handing the Focusing Stone text to Dr. Cartwell.

He gave Danny an odd look, but said nothing as he took the book, opened it, and scanned the first few lines.

"This text is written in some form of old Ghoulish, I'd say well before Roman time, probably even Greek times. What problems was Maddie having with it?" Dr. Cartwell inquired after several minutes of quiet reading.

"Dr. Fenton wasn't able to translate some of it, but not all of it. She said you may be able to fill in the blanks." Dani explained, handing Maddie's translation to the elderly professor.

Dr. Cartwell took the translation and read over it before going back over a section of the book. His stayed silent for some time, during which Danny received a text from Garrett which read: _"I'm in the parking lot. Where are you?"_

Danny replied: _"I'll meet you out there, wait for me."_

"I have to go, I'll be right back. Keep me posted on how the translation is going." Danny whispered to Dani as to not disturb Dr. Cartwell's work.

Danielle only nodded, and Danny left the language department and made the short walk down the hall and out the side exit to the parking lot. Garrett was waiting in his old Jeep, something his parents had given him when he was seventeen, so he was easy to spot.

"Hey, I didn't thing you'd make it. Did you bring the USB?" Danny asked cheerfully; glad to see a friendly face.

However, the actual look on Garrett's face was far from friendly. Indeed, he looked rather livid. Danny was surprised by this.

"What's wrong, man?" he asked in concern.

"Why didn't you tell me?" the latter whispered.

"Tell you? Tell you what?"

"You already brought me in on your whole 'Halfa' secret and that everyone thinks you are dead, but you're really not. Why didn't you tell me about her?"

"Who?" Danny's puzzlement grew.

"Your _wife_!" Garrett blurted out sharply.

Danny's heart froze completely at these words. At first he could only gape in shock at Garrett. He tried to speak, but no sound came out of his open mouth.

"Yeah, Sam Fenton, your wife. She broke down my door yesterday, demanding to know where you were." Garrett explained in a low, angry tone.

At this, the look on Danny's face changed from one of shock to one of fear.

"You didn't…"

"I didn't have a choice. She's probably on her way here to Amity Park as we speak."

"What the Hell, Bobby?! I already told you I faked my death to protect her, and you go and tell her I'm alive!?"

"She already knew! I don't know how! All I told her was that you are here in Amity Park, I didn't tell her you would be at the college or anything!"

"She still knows I'm here. It's not that big of a town, Bobby!"

"STOP CALLING ME BOBBY!" Garrett's anger exploded suddenly, causing Danny to take a step back.

Garrett let out a deep breath before continuing. "I'm sorry, I just don't understand it all." He admitted.

"I know, and you've been a good friend under the circumstances." Danny assured him, placing a hand on Garrett's shoulder.

The latter grasped Danny's arm gratefully and they stared at each other like that for a moment, each the closest the other had had to a brother. Finally, Garrett let go and reached into his pocket, pulling out the USB drive.

"I got the notes like you wanted." He explained, handing the small device over to Danny.

"Good, thanks." Said Halfa nodded appreciatively, taking the drive.

"So, what do you need me to do?"

"Wait out here; Dani and I won't be long."

"Dani's here?" Garrett's face was suddenly filled with nervousness.

Danny was surprised by this, but he decided that there was not enough time to discuss it. Instead, he simply nodded. "Yeah, we'll be back in a few. Just wait here for us." He started moving toward the building, and then stopped suddenly.

"Oh, here, can you hang onto this for me?" he asked, reaching behind him and pulling out the PGP from his back pocket.

Garrett took the device with a nod, and Danny only smiled at him before heading back to the college. Garrett watched him go for a few seconds. However, the cold began to get the better of him. It was, after all the end of February and, despite the blatant effect Global Warming was having by this point with winters ending much sooner than they used to, it was still quite cold. There was no snow present however.

Still, to escape the biting chill that swept through the parking lot, Garrett got into his Jeep, started it, and cranked up the heater. He sat in the jeep for some time, at least an hour. He dulled the boredom by listening to some radio. The music (his favorite was classical piano) combined with the comfortable temperature of the Jeep, was starting to put him to sleep, when something out of the corner of his eyes made him sit up and squint out of the jeep window which was covered in condensation.

What he managed to see made his stomach drop like a rock. Men dressed in black clothing and carrying strange looking rifles that looked like something right out of Star Trek were making their way across the parking lot toward the college.

In an instant, Garrett flung open his jeep door and stepped out, intent on getting a better look. However, as soon as he opened the door, a pair of black gloved hands grabbed him by the collar and flung him on the cold asphalt of the parking lot. Two of the black clad figures had their rifles on him and one of them kicked Garrett in the ribs.

"That's one target down, get inside and find the others!" one of the men shouted the group passing by before turning his attention back to the downed Garrett. "Search him!" he ordered.

Garrett was lifted roughly to his feet while another man patted him down. He found the PGP in the young man's back pocket, but nothing else.

"All I could find was this, sir." The assailant showed the strange device to his commander, who shook his head.

"If it ain't a book, we aren't interested. Forget him, find Fenton and the girl!" the man shouted gruffly.

The soldiers shoved the PGP into Garrett's and hands and then pulled him stumbling across the parking lot. Near the end of it was a large puddle where the rain had gathered from last night and had not yet quiet evaporated. His two attackers gave Garrett a rough push and sent him headlong into the deep pool of water.

As soon as he hit the water, Garrett began to scream in pain. Bolts of green electricity were erupting from the PGP and seemed to be permeating the entire puddle. The strange shocks ran up and down Garrett's body causing a pain that could not be described in words. The two men who had thrown him in jumped back in surprise.

"C'mon, he's a goner, let's get out of here." One of them suggested, and they left Garrett twitching and groaning as the electrical charge subsided.

The two men ran toward the college. Meanwhile, Garrett still lay in the puddle. The shocks and pain had stopped finally, but he could not move. His entire body felt numb, almost tingly. He felt weak and lightheaded, and his legs felt like they would after he had walked a hundred miles.

What was worse was that this meant he could not warn Danny and Danielle of the danger coming their way.

* * *

Danny returned to the language department after talking with Garrett, and found Dr. Cartwell still pawing over the book.

"How's it coming?" he asked.

"No idea, he hasn't said a word since he started. Guess the man can really focus can't he?" Dani whispered, the admiration in her voice apparent.

Danny rolled his eyes. "You're a bit young for him aren't you?" he observed.

Dani gave him a playful shove. "Oh shut up, I just admire the man." She retorted.

"Ah ha! I have it!" Dr. Cartwell announced suddenly, causing both Halfas to jump, "it's a basic Hellenic pattern. Maddie never bothered to memorize the older ones."

"So…can you translate it?" Danny inquired slowly.

"Yes I can, fairly easily actually. The Focusing Stone is not a stone per say. It is a conduit in the Ghost Realm where all the spectral energy converges before being distributed to where it is needed. It's sort of like a big, centralized sorting office. This book talks mainly about the history and creation of it." Cartwell explained, still scanning the book.

"Does it tell us where we can find it?"

"It doesn't go into detail, but it does provide a set of coordinates near the end here. I can write them down for you if you want."

"Yes, please."

Dr. Cartwell grabbed a small notepad and wrote out a series of numbers and letters before handing them to Danny. Dani looked at the rows of letters and numbers and frowned.

"They don't look like any coordinates I've ever seen." She pointed out.

"The Ghost Zone uses a different set of grid numbers. Don't worry; I know how to plot them out." Danny reassured her as he took the piece of paper with a nod to Dr. Cartwell, "thank you so much, sir."

"Just one minute." Said professor grabbed Danny shoulder.

"I'm curious. Where did you get that book? And what does it have to do with you?" he inquired.

Danny was not sure how to answer this. He opened his mouth to give some sort of explanation when a scream from the hallway outside the language department stopped him. Danny ran for the door and opened it a crack to see what the ruckus was about. To his horror, he saw that the screams were being made by terrified college students as they fled a group of men clad in black and armed with strange looking guns.

"Oh boy, we gotta go, _now_!" Danny exclaimed, shutting the door and locking it before heading back over to Dani and Dr. Cartwell.

"What's going on, what's…" Dani began a frantic line of inquiry, but was cut off by a loud banging on the door.

"OPEN UP, NOW!" a voice shouted.

"Is there another way out of here?" Danny whispered to Dr. Cartwell, who shook his head somberly.

"BREAK IT DOWN!" the door began to shake violently as someone rammed their shoulder into it from the other side.

"What'll we do?!" Dani shrieked, fear starting to take a grip on her.

"Grab the professor and go ghost!" Danny ordered her, grabbing Dr. Cartwell before the two rings of energy passed over him, shifting Danny into ghost mode.

Danielle did the same thing, and they both grasped one of Cartwell's arms before pulling him through the back wall. They found themselves in an abandoned classroom and stopped for a moment while Danny opened the door to the room and checked the hallway.

"My God, you two are some sort of…hybrids! Danielle, why didn't you ever mention this? I would've loved to have discussions about it. We could have…" Dr. Cartwell gasped in shock, but also with a little excitement.

"With all due respect professor, I don't think now is the time." Dani insisted, looking back at Danny who had stepped back from the door.

"We're clear, c'mon." the male Halfa confirmed.

The group hurried out into the nearly abandoned halls.

"I'll go to my office and call the police. It's just down the hall there. You two need to get out of here. Stay in touch if you need anything." Dr. Cartwell said quickly before running off down the hall.

"Wow, he's a tough one that one." Danny observed, admiring the man's courage and energy at that age.

"He used to be in the Army before he switched to language. I'm guessing that kind of training stays with you." Dani explained with a shrug.

"THERE THEY ARE!" a group of the men in black had suddenly turned the corner on the far end of the hall way just behind the two Halfas.

The men fired bursts of orange energy from the strange guns at Danny and his clone. The former handed the book along with the coordinates over to Dani and shouted: "SPLIT UP!"

They both went through separate walls, leaving the attackers in the hallway. Danny ran as fast as he could, passing through walls as if they were nothing (to which they weren't for him). He grinned at first, certain that the assailants couldn't follow him. He soon found how wrong he was. Danny glanced back and saw with horror that the men were right behind him, also passing through the walls.

"What?! How!? They aren't ghosts, how can they faze through matter!?" he thought desperately as he continued to run as fast as he could.

He stopped in another abandoned classroom, and Dani soon appeared as well.

"Trade off!" she shouted, throwing the book to Danny, who caught it before passing through another wall and contoured his fleeing.

The three men who had originally been chasing him split up, two went after Dani, one after him. Seeing this, Danny grinned and stopped in a small janitor's closet. The man in black entered the closet as well, and as soon as he did, Danny slammed a fist into the man's stomach. His pursuer let out a grunt of pain and keeled over. The Halfa took advantage of this and rammed his elbow into the back of the man's head. The man in black fell unconscious immediately.

Once he was certain that the man was out for the count, Danny searched him. The weapon was a Spectral Destabilizer, a weapon that bolts of energy that caused the ecto-structure of a ghost to literally come apart.

"Harmless to humans, but deadly to ghosts and Halfas." He thought grimly.

The second thing that caught Danny's eye was a small square shaped device no bigger than an old Sony Walkman that hung on the belt on the attacker. It hummed slightly and a red light blinked on the bottom of it.

"A Fazer!? How the hell did they get one of these?!" he wondered aloud this time as he started at the Fazer in his hand.

A Fazer was a device that allowed the wearer to faze through objects like a ghost. However, the device was limited in that the user could only faze through spots where a ghost had done so, at the most thirty seconds before hand. Danny, as he contoured to examine the equipment, could only find one thing that connected them all. Every piece of equipment had the Specter Tech. logo on it.

After he was done examining his foe, Danny exited the closet through the wall and was surprised to see Dani waiting for him.

"Hey." She huffed, still a little out of breath and still holding the book, "I think I managed to give 'em the slip."

"Great, let's get back to Garrett, he's waiting for us in the parking lot." Danny suggested, gesturing toward the direction of the parking lot.

"I'm right behind you." Dani confirmed.

They both ran through the walls once again, thought this time they ran a little slower than before. Eventually, they found themselves back out in the chilly morning air. Danny switched back to human form and headed toward the spot where Garrett's jeep was parked. Dani, likewise, followed after switching back to human form as well. The sounds of police sirens could be heard approaching, and Dani assumed that her colleague had managed to reach his office and phone the authorities.

Danny reached the Jeep and was shocked to see it empty. "Where'd Bobby go?" he asked allowed, looking around.

"There!" Dani shouted, pointing to Garrett who still lay in the puddle nearby.

"Bobby!" Danny shouted, running over to his friend who had passed out.

"Do you think he's in Hypothermic Shock?" his clone asked anxiously.

The latter touched the water in the puddle with a finger and was surprised to find the water was actually very warm despite the cold weather.

"Huh, that's weird." Danny muttered, pulling his finger out of the water and shaking Garrett, "Bobby, Bobby can you hear me?"

"I told you stop calling me that." Garrett groaned.

Danny let out a sigh of relief, and helped his friend to his feet. Water dripped from Garrett's clothes that had been half submerged in water for who knows how long.

"Garrett, what happened?" asked Dani.

"I don't know. I saw some guys in black heading toward the college. Then, I tired to go warn you two but they caught me. Then they searched me before throwing me in that puddle." At this point Garrett winced as the next memory came back to him, "and then there was pain, a whole lot of pain."

"Where's the PGP?" Danny demanded, afraid that one of the men might have taken it.

"It's…it's right there." Garrett replied, pointing to the small ice cream shaped doohickey that was still lying in the water.

Danny went to pick it up, but as soon as his fingers made contact with the surface of the PGP, it shocked him, causing the young man to pull back his hand with a yelp of pain. Instead of picking it up, Danny kicked the PGP out of the puddle, and then went to pick it up. This time it didn't shock him.

"C'mon, we have to go. Can you walk?" he said, turning to Garrett.

"Maybe." The latter groaned, and he tried to take a step forward, only to collapse on the ground. His legs felt like rubber.

"Let's get him to the car." Dani suggested and, along with Danny, helped Garrett to his feet.

They placed him in the back of the Jeep and then got in themselves, Danny in the driver's seat. Since the Jeep was already running, there was no need to start it or anything, and so the group pulled out of the parking lot and took off down the street with ease. There was no sign of the men in black anymore.

"So who were those guys who attacked us?" Dani inquired when they had put some distance between themselves and the college.

"I have no idea. But they were well equipped, I know that." Danny muttered a reply, his mind still trying to figure out their next move.

Dani looked back at Garrett who was staring at his hand, which he was holding up in front of his face.

"Hey, are you okay?" she asked with concern.

"Huh? Oh yeah, I'm fine, I just feel kinda weird." The young man assured her.

Dani nodded and faced back toward the front. Garrett continued to stare at his slightly trembling hand. The entire extremity felt numb, all of his extremities felt numb actually. It was as if his body had been charged with some sort of powerful energy.

"Something's different." He thought as the Jeep drove on back to the Fenton home.

"Something's very different."

* * *

_Man, this has gotta be the longest chapter I've written thus far for this story. While there wasn't as much action as I'm sure some of you would have liked, it was still quite an eventful chapter. Anyway, leave your comments in reviews if you please. I'd like to see what you lot think is going to happen next. :) Cheers. _


	14. Encounters

Chapter 14

Encounters

"YOU WHAT…!" Vlad's furious voice ached across the top floor of the Specter Tech. headquarters.

"We, uhhh, we lost the book and its translation." Valerie repeated her previous words with a nervous gulp.

"Damn it! Why am I surrounded by incompetent morons." The elder Halfa continued, focusing first on Valerie: "you could never do anything right, even as a snot-nosed little teenager."

Valerie's face turned from one of fear to one of anger and she stood her ground as she looked Vlad right in the eyes.

"If you have a problem, then maybe you no longer have any need of services!" she retorted boldly.

"HOW DARE YOU PLAY THE SHREW WITH ME!" Vlad screamed as he struck Valerie hard across the face, causing her to fall to the ground with a cry of pain.

"Is there a problem here?" a sting voice asked suddenly.

Vlad turned and found himself facing one of Valerie's men dressed in their distinctive black uniforms.

"None at all, the lady and I were just having a conversation." Said former billionaire explained dismissively.

"Uh huh. Are you alright Ma'am?" the agent shifted his focus to Valerie and went over to his boss to help her up.

"I'm fine, what is it Warren?" Valerie asked as she was lifted to her feet.

"Ma'am, Jackson reports that the three targets have returned to the Fenton home with the book and translation." Warren reported briskly.

"They've gone back to the house?! The fools, they're completely vulnerable!" Vlad's voice was filled with glee as he took in this new piece of news.

"Do you want us to attack Ma'am?" the agent continued, ignoring Vlad's excitement.

"No, I will deal with them personally." Vlad announced.

"Ma'am?" Warren asked pointedly to Valerie.

"You heard Mr. Masters, keep a visual on the house and report any movement by the targets, but do not move in." the CEO ordered her subordinate, who nodded to her and shot a glare at Vlad before leaving the room.

As soon as the agent was gone, Vlad took out a small, remote control looking device and pushed one of the buttons on it. Minutes later, Dan appeared in the office.

"You called…boss?" Dan sharply, annoyed at being summoned like some pet.

"We'll be paying the Fentons a visit. I want you all to look your best when we leave." Vlad explained with an evil grin.

"Fine then, I'll leave you two to it." Valerie muttered and started walking toward the exit, but Vlad moved in front of her, blocking her way.

"Perhaps I wasn't clear; we'll _all _be going to the Fenton's this afternoon."

"What?! Impossible, I have a company to run!"

"If you want to continue to have a company, you'll do as I say!" Vlad's voice was rising in anger as he said this.

Valerie stayed silent. She had no argument against this reminder that Vlad still held power over her. Nonetheless, she continued to glare at him angrily.

"Alright, so what are we supposed to do when we reach Fenton's place?" Dan broke into the tense silence.

"We find that book's translation. That's our only concern now." Vlad replied simply.

"And what about Danny and his allies?" Valerie asked quietly.

"The translation is all that matters." Vlad insisted, his tone growing dark.

"The others are expendable."

* * *

Maddie was shocked by the arrival of Danny and Dani. What's more, the two Halfas half-carried another young man through the door with them upon their return.

"What happened? Who's this?" the questions began flowing forth from Danny's mom almost immediately.

"This is Garrett; he's a friend of mine. We're gonna take him upstairs and let him lie down. He needs it." Danny explained as he and Dani moved past Maddie and lugged Garrett up the steps.

They set him down on Jazz's old bed, and the exhausted young man was out in minutes. The two Halfas went back downstairs to talk quietly.

"We should really get him to a hospital." Dani observed anxiously.

"What for, he doesn't seem hurt, just drained." Danny argued.

"What about that thing he said earlier about their being "lots of pain"? He was clearly exposed to some sort of energy. Danny, what if it has the same effect that exposure had on you and Vlad?"

"It shouldn't. The PGP isn't capable of outputting as much energy as the regular Ghost Portal. He'll probably just feel pretty exhausted for the rest of the day."

"And what if you're wrong? We can't just hope nothing happens; we have to talk to him. Otherwise, if he does transform, he'll be scared and clueless as to what's going on." Dani persisted in her arguments, and it was starting to wear her counterpart down.

"Look, let's just let him rest for now, he needs it. We'll talk to him tomorrow." He relented at last.

Dani nodded in agreement, and the two of them went back into the kitchen where Maddie was reading over the translations from Dr. Cartwell. She did not appear to notice the two young adults until Danny tapped her, causing Maddie to jump slightly.

"Hey, you alright?"

"Hmm, oh yes, quite interesting what Dr. Cartwell has to say here. Whatever this Focusing Stone is, it's somewhere in the Ghost Zone."

"We know, Cartwell gave us a set of coordinates we have to follow. But the PGP got fried. We're gonna need the original Ghost Portal in order to get to the Ghost Zone." Danny explained as best he could.

"Uhhh, that could be a problem. The Portal's not what it used to be. Ever since I had the lab shut down it been in an extreme state of hibernation. It'll need some new components to get it cranking again." Maddie replied, closing her eyes tightly as she tried to remember what all the Ghost Portal needed.

"Uh oh, where can we get the components?" Dani asked worriedly.

"None of them are too rare or special. You should be able to find them at any electronic store. There's a Coleman Circuit Supply shop just down the road a few blocks at the Wal-mart complex." The elderly Fenton assured them both.

"Alright, I'll go down to the Circuit shop and get the stuff we need while you two work on getting the Ghost Portal cranked up for when I get back. Mom, can you make a list?" Danny suggested, and Maddie nodded before going to retrieve a piece of paper and pencil.

"Be careful out there. Make sure you keep your face well covered." Dani reminded him.

While his mother prepared the list, Danny dressed in a pair of faded blue jeans and a gray hoodie. All in all, he looked basically inconspicuous, and that was the way he wanted it. After pulling the hood of the coat over his head and hiding his black hair, Dani nodded her approval. Maddie handed him the list along with her credit card.

"Take care, and mind who you speak to. A lot of people living here went to school with you." His mother cautioned him.

"Got it. I'll be back in an hour at most." And with that, Danny set out into town.

A heavy wind was whipping through the streets of Amity Park as a massive cloud bank rolled in from over head. It was a sharp contrast to the sunny, clear-blue skies of that morning. The dark clouds threatened rain once again, and Danny pulled the hood of his jacket further over his eyes, both to block the increasing wind and to hide his eyes from the people passing by him on the sidewalk.

Amity had changed quite a bit since Danny had last been there. Many of the old places had closed down like the movie theater (ever since online streaming had included theater releases, movie theaters had gone out of style). Many of the old fast food joints had also closed down. Even Casper High had been closed down. A new school had been built that accommodated both high school and middle school kids. As he walked past his old school, the windows all boarded up, Danny couldn't help but feel a bit sad. The past was all rotting away before him, and, as far as he could tell, his future looked no better.

Just past the school was a new strip mall that had been built in. This contained the electronic store that Danny was looking for. It looked like your average tech. shop. Danny might have even compared it to Radio Shack (another thing from his past that had long since gone out of business). Nonetheless, he entered the small establishment and began to search through the rows of circuit boards and other tech. implements.

"Confusing isn't it?" a voice off to his left caused Danny to jump.

He turned and found himself facing a young man about his age with black hair and brown eyes. The man was smiling at Danny.

"I'm trying to find some parts for my computer, but it's all Greek to me." He continued with a shrug.

"Yeah, I'm not a big techno geek either." Danny admitted, grinning slightly. Despite not knowing this stranger, the man's friendliness was infectious.

"Hey, no worries, man. I wasn't into computers by any means. I'm a vet, I work at the clinic here." The strange explained, grabbing one of the boxes on a nearby shelf and examining the specs.

"Yeah? That's interesting. Must be fun."

"It has its moments." The man replied with a small chuckle, "Well, I'm gonna ask one of the specialists for some assistance. Nice to have met Mr..."

"Fairburn, Daniel Fairburn." Danny repeated the false identity that he had assumed all those years ago.

"Eric Fallings." Eric shook Danny's hand with a smile, and then headed off toward the front desk.

Danny watched him walk off for a minute before focusing his attention back on the task at hand. He grabbed the three items on the list and then paid for them at the register before heading back outside. He did not run into Eric again, and he found he was surprisingly disappointed by this. The man was the first friendly person Danny had encountered all week aside from his friends and relatives.

Back outside, rain was starting to fall once again. Danny found himself caught up in a large crowd of people that was exiting the Wal-mart next door in the strip mall. Danny, his hoodie up and covering his eyes as best he could, made his way through the crowd. Suddenly he bumped into someone, causing them to drop a small bag that they were carrying.

"Sorry" Danny muttered as he turned around quickly. The hood of his jacket slipped up slightly, exposing his eyes.

This allowed him to make eye contact with the young, black-haired woman he had bumped into, and his heart stopped when he made contact with the violet colored eyes across from him. The two figures locked eyes, both showing shock and surprise.

"D…Danny?" the young woman whispered.

* * *

Sam arrived at the bus station late that morning. However, she headed home first to drop off her luggage. When this was done, she contacted Brisby and informed him that Danny had shifted from Chicago to Amity Park.

"You'd better hurry, Sam. Plasmius is becoming bolder. I don't imagine we have much time left before he starts making some serious trouble." Brisby had warned her.

Sam had assured him that she would find Danny before hanging up the phone and heading out into town. It was a little past noon when she finally set out for her destination: the Fenton residence, the one place Sam knew Danny might go.

However, the effects of a sleepless night were starting to catch up to Sam. As she was driving through town she felt her eyelids getting heavy. She could not sleep however, not now. Instead, she stopped by the Wal-mart on the way to the Fenton home to get some energy drinks. She was doing just this and walking out of the Wal-mart with her two energy drinks in a bag when she ran into a young man wearing a hoodie with the hood draped over his head.

"Sorry" The strangers had muttered, turning to face her.

Their eyes met, and Sam was dumbstruck when her own eyes met the familiar, light blue ones that lay under the young man's hoodie.

"D…Danny?" she whispered in disbelief.

The man in the hoodie at first simply stared at her. Then, without warning, he broke into a sprint in the opposite direction, pushing his way through the crowd. At first, Sam was too stunned to move. However, the sight of the fleeing man brought her to her senses pretty quickly.

"Hey, wait!" she shouted after him, also pushing her way through the crowd in pursuit.

Danny was a few feet ahead of her, but Sam was gaining quickly. He saw this and quickly moved out of the crowd and into the open parking lot where he was able to sprint more freely.

"DANNY!" Sam shouted as she continued her pursuit after him, dodging cars as they ran through the large parking lot.

Said young man managed to squeeze between two cars and ran down the sidewalk beyond away from the parking lot. Sam, being the athletic young woman she had grown into, jumped on top of one of the cars and then off of it onto the walk before running after her target. The hoodie, which Danny had selected with the hope of making him look inconspicuous, actually made him very visible to Sam.

This allowed her to more or less keep up with him as they ran down the emptying sidewalks of the town. The rain was starting to fall harder now, and Sam squinted through the veil of drops. Danny was running as fast as he could, though he was beginning to become winded and slow down. Sam noticed this and pooled all of her last reserves of strength into a final desperate sprint.

Danny, seeing that she was gaining quickly now, turned down an alleyway suddenly. Sam managed to stop herself (almost falling on her face at the speed she was going) and headed down the alleyway after him. However, the alleyway was split by a chain link fence with barbed wire at the top. While her target passed through this by going intangible, Sam smacked into it with a clatter.

Seeing she could not get past the fence, Danny slowed and started to walk slowly toward the other end of the alley.

"Danny, wait! Just…Wait!" Sam shouted to him in desperation.

The hooded young man did actually stop. Seeing this, Sam waited for him to say something. However, no words came from him, so Sam spoke instead.

"Danny...please…talk to me." She whispered.

The figure remained silent. All that could be heard was the sounds of water running off of the buildings as the rain continued to fall in sheets. Finally, after what felt like hours, Danny spoke up.

"Daniel Fenton is dead…he's dead." He replied solemnly before walking swiftly down the alleyway and out of sight.

"Danny wait, some back! COME BACK! DANNY!" Sam's voice rose to a scream as Danny moved out of view and she shook the chain metal of the fence violently.

Finally, she gave up and collapsed against the wall of one of the buildings. Tears were flowing from her eyes and she was sobbing uncontrollably.

"Danny" she moaned through her tears. "Damn it Danny."

She cried for some time, the rain falling around her, but she didn't care. Perhaps some people were just meant to be rained on.

* * *

Danny managed to walk only as far as just outside the alleyway before collapsing to the ground. Tears were filling his own eyes as Sam's pained cries echoed in his brain. Her face hung before him now, not helping to alleviate the strong emotional burden that now hung heavy on his soul.

He did not have time to drown in his sorrow however. He gripped that bag that contained the parts for the Ghost Portal (which he had somehow managed to hang onto throughout the chase). He had a task complete.

"I'm sorry, Sam" he thought, tears still leaking from his eyes as he looked back at the alleyway one last time, "I'm so sorry."

He walked the rest of the way to the Fenton household, not really bothering to make sure Sam was not waiting for him on some leg of the route. He reached the house without incident and entered, closing the door behind him and taking off the wet hoodie.

"Mom, I'm back." He shouted into the house solemnly, but he got only silence in reply.

Danny noticed the basement door open, and decided that his mother and Dani were busy working on the Ghost Portal downstairs and could not hear him. So, he headed down the steps toward the old lad, thoughts of Sam occupying his mind.

He knew that it was wrong in almost every way to run from her. She had recognized him, she had known even before their encounter; somehow, she had known. There was, of course, that part of him that wanted strongly to return to Sam. He missed her deeply, despite what others might have thought. But no, to go back to her now would have been a greater folly then running was.

"No." a voice in his head reaffirmed, "you cannot go back."

He reached the bottom of the steps and entered the half-empty lab. It was rather dark, and Danny clicked on one of the light switches which illuminated the basement with the fluorescent lights above.

"Hello Danny boy." The voice caused Danny to jump, and he turned his attention to his left.

The Halfa was shocked to see Dani tied to a chair with Dan standing behind her, grinning maliciously.

"What…?!" Danny began, but he felt something wrap around him, and he was on his knees in pain in an instant.

Some sort of special cord had been wrapped around him, delivering pain shocks to his body. Another figure, this one wearing a strange suit that made her look like a small Transformer.

"V…Valerie?" Danny groaned, recognizing the young woman occupying the suit.

"Hello, Little Badger." A third voice sounded from across the lab.

Vlad emerged from the darkness, Maddie in hand, the elderly woman also tied with cord.

"Let's have a chat, shall we?" the former billionaire said scathingly.

* * *

_I've been trying to take a more two-sided emotional view. It would be easy to percieve Danny as the villain in this case (and it may be true). Still, I'm trying to show that Danny too is suffering from his decisions. Anyway, story is definetly along eh? Please review and comment, they're always fun to read. :) Cheers. _


	15. The ram touches the wall

Chapter 15

The ram touches the wall

Danny's head was spinning as he felt himself pulled to his feet by Valerie. He could not take his eyes off of Vlad, who still stood next to the captive Maddie. It had been years, years since Danny had seen that face. The face of his nemesis had haunted Danny's memory for the last twenty years. It seemed as though every time Danny was about to finally forget, it all came rushing back like a nightmare. But now Vlad's face was very real as it leered at the still dazed Danny who struggled to keep standing up.

"Try propping yourself up against me, it will pass in a few minutes." Valerie whispered to him.

Though he was a bit wary at trusting the person who had just jolted him, Danny did as she suggested and leaned against the metal frame of the suit she wore. The suit itself was quite an impressive piece of work. It looked nothing like the old one Valerie used to wear when they were teenagers. It was more hi-tech looking and had several new features, some Danny could not see.

"Well, now we're all comfortable, let's talk shall we?" Vlad spoke up, stepping forward a little and pulling Maddie with him, "First things first, it's good to see you Daniel, it's been too long."

"Not long enough." Danny growled back.

"Oh come now, is that any way to treat Uncle Vlad?"

"Go to hell!"

Vlad just grinned before shifting his focus to Dani who was still in Dan's grip.

"And young Danielle, a full grown woman now I see. Valerie tells me you teach organic chemistry. You make your father most proud." He observed.

"You're not my father, you son of a bitch!" Dani hissed through clenched teeth, and she actually tugged against Dan's grip toward Vlad.

"Manners, young lady." Said Halfa replied nonchalantly.

"Well, if no one else missed me, you must have, Maddie." He continued, now shifting his gaze to his own captive.

"What do you want Vlad?" Maddie demanded in a surprisingly calm tone compared to the fury burning in her eyes.

"A simple question which, thankfully, has a simple answer: I want the book and your translation of it."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Vlad's face grew angry and his gripped Maddie so tightly she actually flinched in pain.

"Don't play coy with me, Maddie. Jack's not here to protect you now, in fact, from what I hear, Jack's no longer here mentally either. Now tell me where the book is!"

Maddie continued to stare defiantly back at him and said nothing. This only caused the anger in Vlad's own eyes to intensify.

"It is respectful not to lie, Maddie, but any further silence is will get me _violent_!" he threatened.

"Leave her out of this!" Danny cut in.

Vlad released Maddie and strode over to his younger nemesis. "Well then Daniel, perhaps you would like to tell me where I can find it."

Once again however, everyone fell stubbornly silent. Vlad's patience was beginning to wear thin.

"Fine, I suppose I'll just have to use other mean of persuasion." He announced before giving Valerie a nod.

However, the young woman hesitated at what she was supposed to do at this signal.

"Do it now!" Vlad shouted, and Valerie obeyed, pushing a button on her suit.

An electric shock went through the binds holding Maddie and she began to scream in pain. Danny immediately began struggling against his own binds.

"Stop it! Stop it now! I swear to God Plasmius, I'LL KILL YOU!" he screamed over Maddie's cries of pain.

"You want me to stop? Tell me where the book is!"

"Turn it off, now!"

"Valerie!" Vlad once again nodded to his ally, who pushed another button on her suit.

This time Dani's binds began shocking her, and the air was filled with screams of both Maddie and Dani.

"Best speak up soon, Daniel. I'm not sure how much they can both take." Vlad shouted over the screams.

Danny shook his head, staring at the ground, unable to look at the two people that were so close to him now rolling around in pain.

"Valerie, increase the voltage!"

"NO! I'LL TELL YOU!" the young man broke at last at this order from Vlad.

Said villain grinned and nodded to Valerie, who pushed yet another button that shut off the volts. Both Maddie and Dani lay still, breathing heavily as they tried to recover from the severe electrocutions they had just endured.

"The book is in Dani's pack upstairs, and the translation is on the computer there." Danny admitted at last, gesturing toward the computer a few feet away.

Vlad grinned victoriously as he walked over to the computer and began booting it up. "You, go get the book from her pack." He ordered Dan, who nodded before floating up and fazing through the ceiling of the basement.

Danny wanted to go over to his mother and Dani to make sure they were okay, but Valerie's iron grip kept him from moving.

"Man, this is just totally weird." Valerie observed suddenly.

"You'll forgive me if I don't worry about it a great deal." Danny muttered back.

"Relax, everything's gonna be fine." The latter assured him with an odd grin.

This last comment made Danny glance back at Valerie with a puzzled expression. However, she only shook her head slightly before gesturing for Danny to look straight ahead. He did so, but his face remained puzzled.

What did Valerie mean?

* * *

Sam wasn't sure how long she sat in the alleyway crying silently. At some point, the rain's strength ebbed a little, and it became just a drizzle. It could have been minutes later or maybe hours, she did not know. All Sam could do was stare blankly at the brick wall across the narrow space from here he huddled.

She couldn't understand it. That had been Danny, it had to have been. Why would her run from her. Could it not have been Danny? What if it was just an illusion? No. That had been Danny. So why would he run from her. Why? Why? Why?

The weight of emotion weighed heavily on Sam. Her tears came to an end at some point, and she could only continue to stare unseeingly at the brick wall.

"Sam?" a voice brought her back to reality slightly, and she looked up to see the concerned face of Eric looking down at her.

"Eric…I…I had him…I…I don't even know if it was real….I don't know…" Sam whispered in fragments, unable to gather her thoughts.

"Sam what are you…c'mon you're soaked." Her colleague helped her to her feet before half-leading, half-pulling her down the street to his car and drove her to his apartment.

Sam did not protest, she was too catatonic to do so. She allowed Eric to lead her up the stairs and into the penthouse he lived in (he had a descent income as a vet after all). Unsure as to what to do, and assuring himself that Sam was not injured in any physical way, Eric sat her down on his couch before going into the kitchen to get her something warm to drink.

Meanwhile, Sam was still not speaking. It seemed to her that everything was happening in a sort of strange, dreamlike state. None of it seemed real. She was still too shocked. Eric reappeared with a mug of steaming coffee and handed it to Sam. The soaked young woman took the cup with trembling hands.

"How are you? I didn't know you were back." Eric attempted a conversation, sitting down on the couch next to Sam.

Said young woman said nothing, only sipped tentatively at her coffee. Eric allowed the silence to hang for a few minutes, and then tried again to break the thick ice between him and Sam.

"Sam, what's wrong. At least talk to me." He begged.

Sam looked over at him and saw the sympathy and caring in his eyes. There was something else there too, something deeper. After a few seconds, she realized what it was. Eric was in love. But did she reciprocate those feelings. Sam's first instinct would be to say no. She did not know Eric well, not like she'd known Danny. She had loved Danny, she still loved him, or so she thought.

Once again, Sam was caught up in an odd sort of hazy, dreamlike state. It was as if it wasn't really her as she leaned forward toward Eric's face. Eric did not move, and instead allowed Sam's lips to gently push against his. He pushed his own against hers, and her mouth opened slightly to allow their mouths to lock together more firmly.

Suddenly, Sam seemed to awaken almost from a dream and she pulled back with a gasp. Eric looked disappointed, and he reached for Sam's hand, but she stood up from the couch, leaving her cup of coffee on the table in front of the couch and heading for the door.

"Sam, wait…please…" Eric called after her, standing up as well.

"I can't…I' sorry. I just…I can't." was all Sam was able to get out before fleeing the apartment, leaving Eric confused on the couch.

What was she afraid of?

* * *

Garrett awoke with a groan of pain as a loud screaming reached his ears. It sounded muffled like it was coming from some distance below him. He was still lying in the bed in which Danny and Dani had left him. However, upon hearing the muffled screams, Garrett attempted to stand. For some odd reason, the odd tingling sensation, which had been ebbing away previously, had returned in full force and he was barely able to stand let alone move.

Still, he was determined to see what was going on and, with some effort, he managed to move a leg. Pain immediately shot through his whole body, causing Garrett to cry out in pain. He took more steps and each one was more painful than the last. As the young engineer continued the pain spread throughout his entire body and this time continued to throb even when he stopped moving. A sense of lightheadedness was overcoming him now, and Garrett feared he might pass out. His entire body was beginning to shake violently and it was a wonder he was able to remain standing.

Suddenly, the mixture of tingling and pain in his torso changed to a strong sensation of coolness, as though cold air was suddenly enveloping that part of his body. Garrett looked down at himself and was terrified to see what looked like a solid white ring of energy that had appeared around his torso. The ring split into two separate rings, one began to make its way up toward his head, the other toward his feet.

Garrett closed his eyes as the one ring swept over his face, the sensation of cold spreading with the rings. When the rings had reached the extreme opposite ends of his body, the cold sensation lessened, though it did not go away. However, the pain did subside, as did the tingling sensation. Garrett opened his eyes and looked around him before looking down at his body. He was now wearing a strange looking outfit. He wore what looked like a pair of tight fitting sweat pants that were completely black. He also now wore a t-shirt with a white stripe that ran down it a little off to the left of the middle. The rest of it was black as well. His feet were now covered by a pair of white boots.

Stumbling forward, Garrett entered the bathroom just outside the bedroom and looked at himself in the mirror. His saw the black-with-a-white-stripe-t-shirt as before, but now, he also found that his hair had turned white and his eyes were a glowing green. His arms, exposed where they were by the t-shirt, were show to be an almost paper white. He looked a lot like…well…like Danny. And that's when it hit him.

"Danny said that he was changed into a Halfa by the Fenton Portal." Garrett thought with a jolt, "and you were hit with energy from the PGP."

As the realization dawned on him, Garrett began to breath erratically and he felt as though he was having a panic attack.

"No, it can't be, is just can't be." He said aloud desperately.

But it was. The white haired, ghostly looking young man staring back at him was indeed himself, there was no way around that. After one last glance in the mirror, Garrett hurried down the stairs. He had actually forgotten about the screams he had heard earlier as he hurried downstairs to talk to Danny or Dani or…somebody.

He ran so quickly down the basement steps that it felt as though he was floating (in his current state, he would not have been surprised if he had been floating a little). However, as soon as he reached the bottom of the steps he halted immediately at the scene that lay before him.

Danny was tied up in some sort of cords and was being held by a young woman in some sort of odd looking suit. Dani was captive as well, as was Maddie. Garrett recognized the ghost holding Dani as the one from the video that Danny had fought. However, the third person, an elder man with white hair who looked to be in his 50s was bust typing on a computer.

"You, go get the book from her pack." The man shouted the ghost, who nodded before floating up through the ceiling.

"Oh crap, what do I do now?" Garrett though as he hid up against one of the covered Fenton machines that stood between him and the hostage situation that now confronted him.

However, with the one ghost out of the way, and the elder man working on the computer, only the young woman in the suit was left on alert.

"Okay, there's just her guarding Danny. If you can free him, maybe the two of you can take on the older guy. You're both Halfas after all." Garrett reasoned.

"But Danny's been a Halfa for over 20 years. You've been one for a few hours. You have no idea what you're doing," his better sense reminded him.

"You shall have to overcome your inexperience. They need your help." A voice in his mind broke through his thoughts.

At first Garrett was surprised by this, and glanced around, thinking someone was their next to him, but he was still alone.

"That feeling that you are experiencing, that feeling of energy pulsing through your body; you must focus on it." The voice advised him.

Garrett was still a little unnerved by this odd voice in his mind, but he chose to follow its instructions and focused on the buzzing sense of power that was now flowing through him. As he did this, the buzzing feeling seemed to increase, and he opened his eyes and looked down to see if there was any change. He was shocked to see absolutely nothing. He reached up and felt his face with his hand. He could feel his fingers brushing across his face, but could not see his hand itself.

"Move forward to the woman in the suit and overshadow her.' The voice contoured.

"Over-what?" Garrett thought back.

"Step into her, as if you were stepping into a waterfall."

Garrett moved forward as he was told, and as quietly as possible. At last he reached her and, following his instructions, stepped forward. To his amazement, his body slipped through the woman's body as though it was butter. It was a hard feeling to describe. In a way, it was like stepping into a suit of some kind. He looked down at one of his hands and wiggled it.

"The red button on the right arm control panel will release the binds of Danny and his companions. Choose your moment carefully." The voice in his mind advised him.

"Man, this is just totally weird." Garrett/Valerie commented.

"You'll forgive me if I don't worry about it a great deal." Danny muttered back.

As the situations full prospects dawned on him, Garrett/Valerie grinned. "Relax, everything's gonna be fine." He assured Danny.

Danny turned and gave "Valerie" and odd look at these words, but said nothing. Instead, he refocused his attention on Vlad who was still working on the computer.

"One for the money." Garrett thought as he made Valerie's push a finger against the red button on her suit.

"Two for the show". He pushed against the button more firmly.

"Three to get ready". Danny glanced at Vlad, and then at Dani.

"And four to…"

"GO!"

* * *

_A slow chapter I know, but there will be action in the next one, you can bet on that. Garrett experiences his first transformation (I know a lot of you were kind of reserved about Garrett becoming a Halfa, and I promise to do my best to work it along smoothly). The interaction between Sam and Eric was brief, but hey, who can blame her? She's in a shocked, nearly catatonic state. Anyways, review if you wish. Cheers. _


	16. Casualties

Chapter 16

Casualties

"GO!" Valerie/Garrett shouted, pushing the red button.

With a snapping noise, the binds around Danny, Danielle, and Maddie all popped open and slid off. Danny, though surprised at first, quickly recovered and shifted into ghost mode. Vlad stepped out from behind the computer. Before the elder Halfa could make a move, Danny flew straight into him. There was a resounding crash as the two rivals crashed into the far wall. Almost immediately, Danny began to slam his fist into Vlad's face.

The younger got a few good blows in before Vlad grabbed Danny's fist and delivered his own blow to the young man's face. Danny stumbled back, allowing Vlad to get to his feet as well. He immediately shifted into Plasmius.

"You wanna have go just like the old days eh? Fair enough." He said with a grin.

"Bring it on old man." Danny retorted before running at Plasmius yet again.

This time Vlad got the first hit in, hitting Danny just below his right eye. Despite this, Danny delivered a kick to Plasmius's gut, causing the elder Halfa to grunt in pain. Nonetheless, both stood their ground and the assaults continued.

Meanwhile, Valerie/Garrett ran over to Dani who was still lying on the ground. Without even realizing it, Garrett exited Valerie's body, who collapsed on the ground as well. The newly formed Halfa knelt down and lifted Dani's head slightly. The young woman's eyes fluttered open and she looked up at him.

"G…Garrett? Is that…you?" she groaned, sitting up slightly.

"Danielle, are you okay?" Garrett asked with concern.

"I'm…Behind you!" Dani shouted.

Garrett turned just in time for Dan's fist to connect with his face. The blow sent a wave of pain rocketing all around Garrett's face, and he flew backward, hitting the ground with a resounding 'thud'.

"OW!" the young man groaned as he felt his cheek. Surprisingly, the pain soon faded and he no longer felt it within moments.

"Your pain levels diminish as a Halfa. Now stand up and face your attacker." The strange voice once again entered Garrett's mind.

Despite his curiosity about this odd help, Garrett followed it's instructions and stood up tall, facing the frowning Dan.

"You want more small fry, fine!" the evil ghost shouted, once again aiming a blow at Garrett's body.

"DUCK NOW!" the voice warned him, and the would-be recipient of the blow, dropped to the ground.

Dan, unable to stop the momentum behind the punch, fell forward and stumbled into the wall.

"Counter him, now; deliver a blow with your left on his lower back!"

Garrett did as was suggested and slammed his left fist into the lower portion of Dan's back. The ghost fell to one knee with a cry of pain.

"Right elbow to his spine." The voice delivered more instructions, and Garrett acted on them.

This blow caused Dan to fall flat on his stomach. He had not been prepared for such a brutal beating at the hands of this strange Halfa. To be honest, Garrett had not expected to deliver one so brutal either. He had never been a strong man, but now, his entire body seemed to radiate with a new strength.

However, Dan was recovering quickly as well, and the larger foe stood up with a furious look on his face. This time it was Garrett's turn to go on the defensive as his attacker launched another series of punches and kicks. At first the young Halfa was able to dodge the first two fists and a kick, but Dan finally landed a blow on the left side of Garrett's torso.

Garrett fell back and crashed into Dani who was still struggling to get to her feet. She fell back down, and the latter on top of her. Garrett immediately stood and assisted Danielle to her feet. An action that she herself found surprising, considering their present circumstances.

"Sorry about that." Garrett actually apologized.

"I admire your chivalry, but I think its best saved for some other time." Dani replied, gesturing toward the approaching Dan.

"Right." The newer Halfa agreed with a nod before turning to face his enemy.

Dani stood in readiness next to him (as best she could with still being a little woozy from the shocks), forming a sort of defensive line. Despite being up against two, Dan roared as he charged at them. Garrett, unsure what to do, watched in amazement as Dani charged up a ball of ecto-energy and flung it right into Dan's face. The charging mass of ectoplasm screamed in pain and turned his head away, but he did not stop and plowed right into Garrett.

Dani too was knocked off of her feet by the passing force and landed on her stomach. To her surprise, Danny landed on his stomach on the floor right in front of her. They each looked up at one another.

"How you doin?" Dani asked with a small smile.

"Not bad, you?"

"Decent, Garrett's putting up a hell of a fight."

"Figured he would." Danny said with a grin, before standing back up and going at Vlad once more.

His old nemesis met Danny with a flurry of blows, all of which Danny expertly dodged. Then, the younger went on the offensive. First, he shot a ball of ice energy at one of Vlad's feet, infusing it in ice and pinning Vlad to the floor. Danny then proceeded to ram his foot into his foe's stomach, resulting in Vlad doubling over in pain. Or so Danny thought. As he approached, Vlad suddenly straightened up and fired a ball of energy at Danny.

This projectile met its mark, allowing Vlad a moment to break free of his icy bind while Danny recovered from the shock of the blow. As soon as he was free, the evil Halfa was on his old enemy in a heartbeat (if either of them had one) and soon had Danny in his grasp, slamming his fist into the side of his chin.

This brutal beating was interrupted by Dan crashing into Vlad, causing them both to tumble backward in a heap. Danny, after falling to the ground and briefly catching his breath, then stood up and looked over where Dan had come from.

Garrett and Dani stood a few feet away, both looking satisfied, both with their hands glowing from the after charge of ecto-energy.

"I taught him a new trick." Dani explained, gesturing toward Garrett's slightly glowing hands.

Danny grinned and stood. Dani and Garrett took up position next to him. The three Halfas stood against their two enemies with a determined air and Vlad saw this. He searched the room for Valerie in the hope of evening the odds a little, but she was nowhere to be found.

"Where is that woman?" Vlad thought angrily, before focusing back on Danny and his allies, who were now moving in.

Suddenly, something caught Vlad's eye and he smiled evilly.

"Don't look now Daniel, but it seems you have some new blood to add to your conscience." He announced wickedly, gesturing toward Maddie, who still lay motionless on the ground in spite of her bonds having been released.

"MOM!" Danny screamed in horror as he ran over to his unmoving mother.

"NOW!" Vlad ordered Dan, grabbing onto the ghost's arm, who then opened a ghost portal that he and Vlad disappeared through.

Dani and Garrett only stared at the spot in surprise at first. Danielle's attentions were quickly drawn to Danny and his mother. She ran over to the two figures and felt for a pulse.

"There's a pulse, but its very weak, she needs to get to a hospital." Dani said urgently to her host.

"Right, Garrett, help me!" Danny shouted to his friend, who still stood where he was. "GARRETT!?"

Garrett was feeling strange again. Suddenly, a sensation of heat, different from that of the sensation of cold he had felt earlier, formed in his torso. He looked down and saw that the ring of energy had reappeared and was making its way to its respective ends of his body once again. This time, the ring was turning back to his old human form. When the transformation was complete, Garrett felt lightheaded again and collapsed on the floor.

"Better make that two people who need a hospital." Danielle observed, rolling her eyes.

* * *

Sam entered her apartment with a feeling that she was carrying a load of lead in her stomach. It was late that evening when she finally returned after wandering around town aimlessly for some time. She felt hollow, and completely demoralized. Between Danny running from her, and her kiss with Eric, her own feelings were a mixture of confusion and fear…and anger. So, when Sam arrived home and found Rebecca waiting for her, she felt relieved to finally see someone she could talk to.

"Hey." She said, brightening up a little bit.

"Where were you? I had to go pick Madison up from daycare after the center called me." Rebecca demanded with a frown.

Sam said nothing, only sighing as she took off her shoes and coat. She then went into the kitchen to make herself a warm cup of tea.

"Well?" Rebecca repeated as Sam put the kettle on.

"I was looking for Danny. I found him." The latter whispered.

The latter fell silent at this, and her angry look was replaced by one of disbelief and amazement.

"You…you found him? Where was he? Where _is _he?!" she gasped.

"He…I…" that was all Sam managed to get out before she broke down in tears.

Rebecca, not sure what else to do, wrapped her arms around her friend in an effort to comfort her. They stood there for a few minutes, Sam sobbing into Rebecca's shoulder. Eventually, Sam pulled away, wiping her running nose and looking up at Rebecca with a grateful smile.

"Thank you." He muttered.

"I'll uhhh….I'll see you tomorrow then?" the latter decided that to inquire about Sam and her husband would cause her friend only more pain, so she chose to drop it.

"Yeah. Where's Madison?"

"She's asleep in her bed."

Sam nodded and made her cup of tea while Rebecca, after a moment of hesitation, muttered a short 'goodbye' and left. When her friend was gone, Sam sat down on the couch and sipped at her tea, trying desperately to sort out her feelings. She started by separating them into mental categories.

She felt anger. Okay, toward whom? That was easy, toward Danny…and perhaps herself for being so naïve. She felt confusion. That was toward Eric and his feelings for her. Did she reciprocate them? That she could not answer. Finally, she felt sadness. That was also toward Danny. But why? Why?

"Because I still miss him." She realized with start.

Despite it all, she still missed him. But did she still love him? That too she could not answer. With this, she gave up on deducing her feelings and stood up. The young mother walked down the hallway to her daughter's room and entered. Madison was sleeping soundly on the bed, and Sam moved as quietly as she could.

Despite Sam's best efforts, Madison stirred and opened her eyes.

"Mommy?" she mumbled, rubbing her eyes and yawning.

Sam knelt down and ran a hand over her daughter's face lovingly.

"Sorry sweetie, mommy didn't mean to wake you."

"Where's daddy?"

The question made Sam freeze.

"What?"

"Auntie Rebecca said you went to find daddy. Did you find him?"

Tears began to leak from Sam's eyes again and she climbed into the bed with her daughter and wrapped an arm around her daughter, pulling her close.

"No, but I will, mommy promises." She whispered.

Madison snuggled close to her mother, and within moments both were asleep, still holding one another closely.

Neither was aware of the figure who was watching them from the dark hallway.

* * *

When Garrett awoke, he was sitting in a chair in a brightly lit hallway that had light green walls. He groaned as he sat up and was immediately confronted by Dani.

"Hey, you alright?" she asked.

"Where am I?"

"The hospital, we brought you here along with Maddie. I told the doctors you were fine though. They might have noticed your hybrid blood." Dani explained as she helped Garrett to his feet.

"What about Mrs. Fenton? Is she alright?" he was at alert in a moment.

At this, Dani's face fell and a look of anxiety crossed it. "We don't know, the doctors haven't told us much." She admitted.

"Where's Danny?"

"I'm here." Danny's voice made Garrett jump, and he looked around but could not see the voice's originator anywhere.

Danielle put a finger to her lips for silence, and Garrett nodded in understanding as a doctor approached.

"Miss Fenton?" he inquired of Dani, who nodded.

"Madeline is going to be alright. She had some internal trauma, but she's stable now." The tall elder man explained, glancing over some charts on a clip board in his hand.

"Can we see her?" Danielle asked anxiously.

"She's conscious, but weak. I think it best if she is allowed to rest for now." The doctor replied with a shake of his head, "You should go home and get some rest. We'll call you if her condition changes."

The MD then headed back off down the hall way, still glancing over the charts.

"Wait here." Danny's voice sounded again.

Both his friends nodded. There was a brief silence, broken by Dani, who sat down in one of the waiting chairs.

"Thanks by the way." She said.

"For what?" asked Garrett in confusion.

"For helping me out in the lab. It was very kind of you."

"Well, I couldn't just leave you could I?"

"No, I guess not."

An awkward silence followed. "Well, thank you." Dani repeated.

Garrett looked down and noticed her hand hanging limply by the side of her chair. After some hesitation, he took it in his own. Dani looked down at Garrett's hand wrapped around hers and looked up at him in surprise. However, she said nothing in protest and so they sat like that, each holding the other's hand.

It was a strangely exciting moment for both.

* * *

Danny fazed through the wall of the hospital room silently. His mother lay in a bed, her eyes closed and her chest rising and falling gently. The steady beeping of her heart rate monitor resounded thought the room.

He approached her bedside and pulled a chair up in front of the bed, which he then sat down in and took his mother's hand in his own. She stirred and opened her eyes.

"Danny." She muttered, "you're here."

"Of course I am mom." The latter whispered through the tears that were growing in his eyes.

"Did Vlad get the translation?" Maddie inquired.

"No, but he got the book. It's only a matter of time…"

"Don't give up. You can't let him win." His mother insisted, squeezing his hand tightly.

"Mom I….I can't. First Jazz, now you…I just…can't." Danny gasped through his tears, "you could have died."

"Danny!" Maddie broke in with a hoarse voice, "No one blames you for Jazz's death. You _have _to stop blaming yourself."

Danny stared at his mother's bruised face through his tear laden eyes. He could say nothing. The guilt crushing down on him like an unyielding tide.

"Jazz would not want you to give up." Maddie insisted, tears now flowing from her own eyes, "for her, and Sam, and Madison."

Danny's expression changed to one of puzzlement.

"Who's Madison?"

At this question, Maddie fell silent.

"No, it's not my place." She muttered.

"What place, who's Madison?" Danny demanded.

"Ask Sam, she should tell you, not me." His mother retorted before turning away from her son.

Danny sat staring at his mother's back in confusion and bewilderment. Who was Madison? What would Sam know of it?

He decided to not worry about it at the moment, and simply watched his mother, who slowly drifted off to sleep.

"I love you mom." Danny whispered to her.

"I'm so sorry."

* * *

_My apologies for this chapter's taking so long. Things have been rather busy lately. Lots happened, but as usual I'd rather read your comments than my own. So please review :). Cheers._


	17. Loyalty and fidelity

Chapter 17

Loyalty and fidelity

Vlad and Dan exited a ghost portal into a back alleyway near the Fenton home. Dan was still trying to catch his breath after the battle beforehand. Vlad however, was absolutely livid.

"God damn it! I almost broke into the computer system. Tell me you at least found the book!" he demanded, rounding on Dan like an angry dog.

"Yeah, I got it. Jeez old man, calm down." Dan replied defensively as he produced the book.

"Don't you _dare _call me 'old man'! Understand?!" Vlad growled back as he snatched the book from the ghost's hand.

"Maybe if you were in a less pissy mood most of the time, we'd be more inclined to show respect." Valerie's voice sounded from the alley's entrance (the alleyway having been designated as the rallying point for the group if something went wrong).

"And just where the hell were you?! We could've used your help back there." Dan spat at Valerie as she approached.

"The suit malfunctioned, I had to get out of it, or I was no use to anyone." Said businesswoman retorted, getting right in Dan's face with a challenging look.

"Enough you two!" Vlad interrupted the confrontation.

He was reading over a piece of paper that had fallen out of the book as he was sifting through it. Vlad stayed silent for a few moments while his comrades looked at him with increasingly irritated looks. Finally, a grin broke out across the evil Halfa's face.

"I believe this may be used to our advantage." He observed, showing Valerie and Dan the piece of paper, which had a series of coordinates written down on it.

"Let's get back to Specter Tech then." He ordered, and in moments, the group was swallowed up by another ghost portal, Vlad's evil laughter echoing as they did.

* * *

Danny fazed back through the wall of the hospital and out into the hallway outside his mother's room. He turned and found Dani and Garrett both asleep in the row of waiting chairs. He glanced down and raised an eyebrow at the sight of the two Halfas holding each other's hand.

"I'm sorry, am I interrupting something?" he announced loudly, causing the two sleeping figures to jump slightly and awake.

Garrett glanced down and quickly pulled his hand away from Dani's, blushing slightly. Dani too was turning a shade of red as they both stood up.

"Uhhh no." said one.

"Nothing." Said the other.

"Right, well, we need to figure out our next move." Danny continued, still giving his clone and best friend an odd look.

"They got the book, and the coordinates." Dani admitted, looking down at the floor.

"What?! The coordinates too?" Danny exclaimed.

"I put it in the book, if they got the book, than they got the sheet."

"Damn it!" the latter swore as he sat down in a chair across from them and buried his face in his hands.

"C5, Z3, FJL" Dani repeated what had been written on the paper, causing both Garrett and Danny to look over at her in amazement.

"Photographic memory." She explained with a grin.

"Okay, Dani, you get back to the house and start fixing the Fenton Portal. Take Garrett with you, he's had experience with building portals." Danny jumped to his feet and spoke to his clone, gesturing toward Garrett.

"Experience with the PGP, not with an actual portal on that scale." Garrett objected.

"It's not that different. Trust me. Check mom's computer for the original specs of the portal if you have to."

"What about you?" Dani inquired.

"There's something I have to do first." Danny said in a quieter tone, "where's Sam's house at?"

Dani's eyebrows raised at this question. "Danny, what are you plan…?"

"Danielle, please…just…where?"

The latter said nothing at first. Finally, she relented under Danny's tired gaze. "She's still in that condo you two moved into after your wedding. She never left." Dani revealed, albeit reluctantly.

Danny only nodded before going ghost and fazing through the hospital wall into the old evening air outside. He stayed intangible as he flew through the streets toward his old apartment that he had shared with Sam for three years, three of the happiest years of his life. Fortunately, it wasn't too far from the hospital so he came to a stop mid air in front of the five story building that he used to reside in.

It brought back memories: when he and Sam had first bought the place, their first night there, and his brief return to grab the picture of him and Sam's wedding the night he faked his death. Tears leaked from his eyes at this last bitter memory, but he shook them off and floated toward the windows of the apartment (he would have known them anywhere). From here, he drifted forward and fazed through the wall.

Danny found himself in the living room of the condo. It hadn't really changed much; at least it didn't seem like it to Danny, although he didn't really have time to examine the room thoroughly. The sounds of voices from down the nearby hall drew his attention. He moved cautiously down it and stopped just outside the slightly open door of one of the bedrooms.

"Did you find Daddy?"

The words hit Danny like a brick and he peaked inside the room. He was confronted with the sight of Sam leaning over a young girl of about four.

"What?" Sam spoke, drawing Danny's attention from the young girl.

"Auntie Rebecca said you went to find daddy. Did you find him?" the toddler repeated her question.

Sam said nothing, but climbed into the bed and cuddle the girl tightly.

"No, but I will, mommy promises." Sam whispered through tears in her eyes.

The fell asleep like that, mother and daughter. Danny watched from outside in the hallway and, when he was certain they were both asleep, entered the room as quietly as possible. He stood at first, looking down at the sleeping Sam, her daughter…no…_their _daughter, held tightly in her arms.

Danny began to cry as he looked at the young, placid face of Madison.

"I'm a father." He whispered through the tears, "a father."

Not entirely thinking about whether it was a good idea or not, Danny moved silently to the edge of the bed and lay down carefully, using his ghostly abilities to keep the bed from shifting too much under his weight and thus awakening Sam. He lay on his side behind his wife and gently wrapped his own arms around her.

They lay like that for several minutes. The daughter in the mother's arms, the mother in her husband's arms. In spite of himself, Danny felt the effects of the little sleep he had gotten in the last few days begin to wash over him. He too fell asleep, arms still wrapped around Sam, one hand resting on the shoulder of his daughter. It was the picture of a perfect family and, at least for a few hours, they all slept soundly.

As though each knew the other was there.

* * *

Valerie, Dan, and Vlad arrived at Specter Tech through the ghost portal created by Dan. Valerie and Dan were both thoroughly exhausted, but Vlad remained energized and immediately sat down to read over the sheet of coordinates in his hand.

"Be ready you two, we'll be moving out in an hour or so when I have finished locating these coordinates." He informed his minions.

Dan and Valerie shared an annoyed look before turning back to Plasmius.

"C'mon boss, it's getting late. We need to grab some shut eye." Dan voiced the shared protest.

"I don't give a damn if you're tired! Drink some coffee, we'll be moving out soon!" Vlad shouted back angrily.

"And what about Danny and his companions? What if they're waiting for us? If we wait a little bit, maybe they'll let their guard down and taking that "Focusing Stone", or whatever, will be easier." Valerie suggested with a sigh.

"NO, WE MUST STRIKE SOON BEFORE THEY HAVE TIME TO PREPARE!" Vlad insisted stubbornly.

"So what if they _are _waiting for us? What then?"

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it." The group's evil leader replied dismissively as he continued to read over the coordinates.

Valerie rolled her eyes, but said no more, recognizing that it would be a waste of energy. Instead, she went and sat down at her desk, while Dan floated nearby, clearing pooling a lot of effort into staying awake. A silence fell over them as Vlad worked tirelessly over the data. Valerie's eyes were drawn to a piece of paper on her desk and she picked it up before beginning to scan over it.

It was a recon report from one of her agents sent to Amity Park, and she gasped at its news.

"Oh my God, he has a kid!" she exclaimed.

Vlad's head shot up at this. "Who?!" he demanded.

"Danny, Agent Cohen says he has a daughter." Valerie explained, still reading over the report in disbelief.

The latter jumped up from where he was sitting, strode over to the desk, and snatched the report out of Valerie's hands, reading it over for himself. After a few seconds of tense silence, a malicious grin spread over his face.

"This is incredible, it's more than incredible it's…it's…_perfect_!" Vlad announced triumphantly.

"How so?" Dan inquired.

"Don't you see, you ignorant buffoon?! Daniel doesn't even know the child exists. It is highly unlikely he does, anyway. We can use her as leverage a this key moment in events." The evil Halfa explained, his voice dripping with glee at such a lucky and opportune finding.

"What are you saying? Kidnap the child? For God's sake, Cohen says she's not even five years old yet!" Valerie broke in with a protest.

"All the better, she'll be easy to handle. We hold her hostage and warn Daniel to back off. And if he refuses, well…" here Vlad stopped and grinned even wider.

"No! No, no, no. no, NO!" Valerie's voice grew louder and she jumped up from the desk, "I'm not going to kidnap, nor kill, a child. That's going too far!"

"You will do as I say or you will suffer the consequences!" Vlad warned her, his eyes flashing dangerously.

"I don't care. I'd rather go to prison than be involved in this any longer!" the CEO retorted, starting to walk toward the officer door.

Vlad had her in a flash, wrapping his hands tightly around her neck. Valerie grabbed at his hands with her own and tried to pry them off, but Vlad's grip was iron as he choked her.

"If avoiding Federal Prison is not enough of an incentive to be loyal, Valerie, than consider this: what's to stop me from snapping your neck at anytime I so wish!?" he hissed through clenched teeth.

Valerie stared up at Vlad's sinister face hovering over her as he continued to choke the young woman. The look of fear in her eyes told Vlad the answer he wanted, and he released her. Valerie backed up a ways, coughing and heaving in an attempt to catch her breath. Vlad turned away from her and allowed her the brief moment to breathe.

"You will place the child under surveillance. I want her every move shadowed. Understood?" he ordered after a few minutes.

Valerie only wheezed for a few seconds before answering in a hoarse voice: "yes sir."

Vlad nodded and turned back to the book which still lay open on the nearby desk. "Good, I'm almost finished." He continued, gesturing toward the book and the paper next to it.

"We're close…"

* * *

Sam felt an odd sensation of cold around her waist as though two arms made of snow were holding her. It was so present that it actually caused her to shiver in her sleep. The really strange thing about it all was that she had felt the sensation before. Even in her deep sleep, the memory came flooding back. She had hugged Danny while he was in ghost form and his body had been emanating coldness.

The dark-haired woman's eyes shot open and she gave a small gasp. She sat up and glanced at the spot next to her. It appeared empty, but Sam reached out a hand and felt the spot. To her shock, she felt her hand come into contact with something solid and she pulled it back with a cry of surprise. There was another cry of surprise that seemed to come from nowhere, and suddenly Sam felt a weight lift from the bed followed by a loud ruckus as though someone was fleeing from the room. Sam herself jumped up and ran to the door before sprinting down the hallway.

"DANNY!" she found herself shouting after reaching the living room.

Only silence met her as a reply, and Sam sat down in one of the living room chairs with a deep sigh. Maybe she had imagined it all. Had she?

Outside, the still invisible Danny watched her through the window. Her eyes began to tear up and Danny could no longer bring himself to watch, lest he too break down crying at the sight of his heartbroken wife.

"That was a stupid idea to lay down with her. What were you thinking?" a voice in his mind chastised him as he flew away.

"I don't know." He admitted somberly, "I don't know."

Danny flew on in silence until he reached the Fenton home. His insides felt numb and tangled, as though his insides had been removed. Sam's tear streaked face swam before his eyes, as did the face of his daughter.

"Why didn't she tell me she was pregnant? Why?" he thought in anguish.

"Would you have stayed if she had?" the voice asked.

Danny could give no answer. He was too confused already. He had been a father for four years and had never known it. It was a most horrible shock. He was so wrapped up in these thoughts that he did not notice he had fazed through the roof and upper and lower floors of the house to the basement until Dani spoke up.

"Hey, you're back!" she observed.

She and Garrett were putting the finishing touches on the Fenton Portal (indeed, Garrett was screwing shut the main access panel on the side of the machine) when Danny arrived.

"Where've you been? It's nearly three in the morning." Garrett inquired, approaching the two after finishing with the portal.

"Never mind, is the portal ready?" Danny retorted sharply, causing both Dani and Garrett to give him shocked looks.

"Sorry. It's just…sorry." He apologized quickly, and then moved past his friends, approaching the portal.

He reached out a hand and ran it over the smooth frame of the circular device.

"Brings back memories doesn't it?" said Dani.

"Yeah." Danny whispered, still feeling the surface of the portal. After a minute or so, he turned to his companions. "Let's fire it up!"

Garrett reached for the plugs, but Danny stopped him.

"Don't touch those! Not yet!" he ordered him before stepping into the portal and pushing down on the green 'on' button that his hand had fallen upon all those years ago.

After exiting the portal, he gave a nod to Garrett, he plugged it in. The device roared to life, and a massive swirling vortex of green formed in the circular mouth of it. At first, all Danny could do was stare into the portal.

"This machine, where everything went wrong. Let's hope it holds the key to set things right." He whispered to no one in particular.

"Dani and I will go. Garrett, I need you to stay here and monitor the portal." He continued aloud.

"But…" said engineer began a protest, but Danny silenced him by putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Trust me man, me and Dani have more experience in this sort of thing." Danny insisted firmly.

Garrett said nothing more, only nodded in silent agreement. Danny nodded as well before turning to Danielle. "Let's go" was all he said before moving to stand before the swirling green whirlpool before them.

Dani moved and stood next to him. They shared a glance before stepping forward.

"Good luck!" Danny heard Garrett shout after them before they were enveloped by the portal.

"For Sam." Danny thought as he was transported.

"For Madison...my daughter."

* * *

_A filler chapter I know, but you're all in for some action next chapter that's for sure. Things are coming to a head no? Guess we'll find out if having a daughter thrown in the mix pricks Danny's conscience any. Please review! Cheers. _


	18. Beyond here, lies nothing

Chapter 18

Beyond here, lies nothing

The Ghost Zone had always been a second home for Danny. For Danielle it had been her first home, since she had spent three years of her life since her creation wandering the ghostly dimension. So it was nothing new when they arrived in the Ghost Zone, a massive green free floating dimension.

"So, any idea how to get to those coordinates?" Dani asked, her voice echoing a little.

"No, but I know who we can ask." Danny replied, floating toward a suspended door nearby.

"Clockwork?"

"No."

Dani, after hearing this, shrugged and followed after her "older brother" through the door. They immediately found themselves in what appeared to be a bar. There were a number of ghost sitting around drinking glasses of a greenish liquid (ecto-ale Dani assumed) and talking and laughing. Many of them fell quiet while others began whispering in excited voices as Danny walked by them, heading toward the bar.

The bartender smiled at Danielle as she approached with her counterpart.

"Hey Dani, been a while. Your usual?" he greeted her.

Danny gave his clone a look that made her blush.

"What can I say, there's no drinking age in the Ghost Zone." She explained sheepishly.

The latter rolled his eyes before turning back to the bartender who was looking at Danny with interest.

"Word in the human zone is, you're dead." He observed, "But we all knew it wasn't true, since you'd be floating around here with us if you were."

"Yeah, well, let's keep that between us shall we? Anyways, we're looking for Wulf. Have you seen him?" Danny replied, leaning against the war slightly.

"No small talk? I'm crushed. He's near the back I think. You know him, he prefers his own company around here."

"Alright, wait here. Wulf's a little leery around strangers."

Danny headed off toward the far end of the barroom while Dani, after watching him go with an annoyed expression, turned back to the bar man.

"So…about that usual." She began with a grin.

The barman smiled at her and began mixing together various liquids before sliding her a glass full of a pale-blue liquid. She took it with a "cheers" before down half of the glass.

Meanwhile, Danny made his way to one of the backrooms where the more solitary patrons sipped at their pints of…whatever that stuff was. Eventually, he reached a room with the door open a crack. Inside was a large werewolf with a green hoodie who sat at one of the tables.

"Holasa, sekuro comassa peranz?" Danny called as he entered the room.

Wulf stood up in surprise, grinning with delight at the sight of his old friend.

"_They said that you were dead."_ Wulf explained as Danny sat down across the table.

"_Maybe someday, but not today."_

They spoke in Esperanto, the only language that Wulf knew.

"_So my friend, what do I owe the pleasure of this unexpected visit?" _the werewolf inquired after the two had spent a few minutes on idle chatter.

"_I need your help. We need your help."_

"_We?"_

"_Danielle, you two have met I believe."_

"_Briefly, yes. Nice young woman." _Wulf observed with a thoughtful nod.

"_Right, well, we need someone to guide us to these coordinates." _Danny explained, taking out a sheet of paper that Dani had rewritten the coordinates on.

"_Forgive me, but I can't read." _Wulf reminded him. The werewolf was a good and loyal friend, but his intelligence lacked slightly.

Danny nodded in understanding and began to read off the coordinates. Wulf listened, his face growing ever grimmer as Danny read the numbers aloud. After he was finished, Wulf frowned.

"_Why do you want to go there? It is not a place to tamper with. It is sacred." He asked with concern. _

"_Vlad's back." _At this news, Wulf flashed his sharp teeth and one pair of his claws extended and dug into the wooden surface of the table.

"_Where is the brujo?! I shall personally end him!"_

"_I appreciate the energy, but he's the reason we need to reach the Focusing Stone. It's what he's after, and we have to reach it before he does." _Danny explained the situation as best he could.

Wulf stayed silent for a moment as he contemplated over the information. At last, he spoke.

"_Very well, I will lead you there, but I can't enter."_

Danny stood with an appreciative smile. _"Thank you, we're ready whenever you are."_

"_Very well, I will be ready in a few minutes. Go and ready Danielle." _

They both stood and gave one last nod to each other. Then, Danny tuned and walked out of the room and back out into the hallway. Out at the bar, Dani was finishing off her fourth glass of light-blue liquid.

"Please tell me you're not wasted." Danny said with a sigh as he approached her.

"They're non-alcoholic you jerk." Dani retorted in mock outrage, though her wide grin gave her away, "so how'd it go with Wulf?"

"He'll take us to the Focusing Stone, but he's sure as heck not happy about it."

"Well, neither am I frankly. The bartender here says that it's a bad place to go."

Danny turned to the bartender whit raised eyebrows.

"All I said is that place is bad news. You shouldn't go poking around there." The ghost said with a shrug.

Danny shook his head before turning back to Dani.

"Wulf says he'll be ready to go shortly. We have to move out." He continued bluntly.

They moved off toward the backrooms to meet with Wulf. As they did, the bartender called after them.

"Dani, you still haven't paid your tab!"

"I will, I promise!" Dani shouted back.

"Yeah, that's what they always say." The latter muttered as he went back to fixing drinks.

"Someday they'll have to make good on it."

* * *

Garrett sat at one of the tables in the lab staring at the swirling green vortex in the portal. It was almost hypnotic. He was brought out of this state by the sound of a door slamming shut upstairs. He jumped to his feet as the sounds of footsteps on the floor above making their way toward the basement stairs. This was followed by the "clump, clump, clump" of someone making their way down the stairs. Garrett was on his feet and in a fighting stance (though he still did not know how to shift into ghost mode by will).

To his surprise, Sam appeared in the door way looking flustered and tired. She caught sight of Garrett and her face changed from a tired, anxious look, to one of anger.

"_You_!" Sam hissed as she moved across the floor toward Garrett.

Garrett was still too shocked at seeing her to say anything, and at first he simply stared open mouthed at the approaching young woman. However, he was quickly brought out of his amazed state when Sam, after reaching him, delivered a punch to his face.

"OW! WHAT THE HELL!?" Garrett shouted, falling to the ground and clutching his jaw in pain.

"I'M SICK OF THIS BULLSHIT! WHERE IS HE?!" Sam demanded in a voice that was nearly a scream.

"WHO?!"

"DANNY, WHO ELSE!?"

"I don't know!"

"LIAR!"

"Look, none of this is my fault, why take it out on me!?" Garrett stood up and actually leaned his face in toward Sam's, gazing into her eyes with a look of defiance in his own.

It was a challenge, and Sam took it. She swung her fist at him again, but this time Garrett dodged it using the new reflexes granted to him by being a Halfa. Sam was a student of karate and soon began a flurry of chops and kicks at Garrett. He managed to dodge most of them until a side kick hit him in the side of his torso.

This caused Garrett to fall to one side with a groan of pain. To his surprise, this sudden assault on his person caused the familiar energy ring to form around his torso and shift him into ghost mode. Sam was surprised by his sudden transformation as well.

"You're…you're…" she tried to speak, but could only stutter.

"Yeah. You wanna fight? Fine, let's fight!" Garrett growled before lunging at Sam.

This time it was Sam's turn to go on the defensive as she blocked a series of punches by Garret before attempting her own. However, the Halfa utilized the few abilities he had mastered (mainly his ability to go intangible) to negate the blows before landing a well aimed hit onto Sam kidney area. This caused her to crumple to the floor.

"Look, none of this is my fault! I was just as pissed when I found out he had a wife! Do you know what I would give to have a family?! All of mine are gone! My parents are dead! They died just as I was graduating from MIT, they didn't even get to watch me cross the stage! So don't think I don't know what it's like to have lost a loved one! But he's my friend, the only one I've had in years! I can't betray him!" Garrett screamed at Sam as she knelt on the ground.

A silence fell over them, broken only by Sam's pained breathing as Garrett turned away from her with a sigh and looked back at the ghost portal.

"At least you had a family who cared." Sam spoke up suddenly, and Garrett turned to look back at her.

Tears were falling from the young woman's eyes as she continued.

"After they found out I was marrying Danny, my parents wanted nothing to do with me. They didn't even come to the wedding. They disowned me! Jesus Christ, Danny was all I had. He's _still _all I have! Him and Madison are my only family who give a damn anymore." She gasped through her sobs.

"Madison?" Garrett inquired, puzzled.

"She's our daughter."

"Daughter?" Garrett whispered, horrified.

"Yes, his daughter. What am I supposed to tell her? Daddy pretended to die, that's why he's not at your graduation? That's why he's not at your wedding?"

Garrett fell silent at these words and seemed to be torn in an internal struggle. Finally, after a few minutes he relented.

"Danny's gone to the Ghost Zone, but if you wait here with me, he's sure to come back."

Sam nodded appreciatively and stood up, wiping the tears from her eyes and sniffing.

"Thank you." She said.

"No problem." Garrett mumbled the reply as he glanced back at the Fenton Portal.

"I just hope he makes it back." He thought anxiously.

* * *

A tear opened in the fabric of the Ghost Zone and through it stepped Danny, Dani, and Wulf. The group found themselves in front of a large arch way that was made out of an odd, brownish grey sort of stone. There was a small doorway cut into the solid wall just behind the arch. However, what caught Dani's attention were the massive words inscribed from one side of the arch to the other.

"What does that say?" she inquired, gesturing toward the etchings.

Wulf read them over, and then spoke somberly.

"Elanio gerra nula."

"What's that mean?" the female clone asked, turning to her host.

"Beyond here, lies nothing." Danny whispered.

A shiver ran down Dani's spine at the words. They were foreboding and dripped with a sort of warning it seemed.

"_This is it. You may go in, but I can't." _Wulf repeated his terms.

Danny nodded in understanding. _"Fair enough. I don't know how long we'll be. You can wait here if you want."_

This time it was Wulf's turn to nod. And so the werewolf watched as his two companions made their way cautiously through the arch and doorway beyond. Inside the structure, the two Halfas walked down a dank, barely lit hallway. They both ignited small balls of ecto-energy in their hands to illuminate the area some more as they continued to walk and the darkness became more prominent.

Eventually, the hallway ended in a massive open chamber that was illuminated by a pale blue, almost white, light. Both Halfas gasped at the sight. The chamber itself was large and appeared to have no bottom. A series of stone cat walks ran throughout the while room, but below these catwalks was a seemingly endless drop. The walls were covered in strange etchings as well. However, the most prominent thing in the chamber was a massive swirling cloud of what appeared to be smoke that circled in the center of the room. This cloud emanated smaller beams of bluish-white energy that seemed to go off and dissipate in all directions.

"Do you feel that?" Dani asked.

Danny did, it was a strange sensation, like his body was being infused with a powerful electrical charge. It felt amazing. So much so, that for a moment neither said nor did anything, they just sat and felt the sense of empowerment wash over them.

"What _is_ that?" Dani finally managed to gasp.

"That's a cloud of spectral energy. Remember what mom said? The Focusing Stone is like a big conduit for spectral energy. From here it gets distributed throughout the Ghost Zone and probably beyond." Danny replied, still staring up at the cloud in awe and amazement.

"Indeed, and whoever controls it, controls every ghost in existence. It is power beyond imagining. And will soon be mine!" the voice came from behind Dani and Danny, and they both turned in surprise.

Vlad and Dan stood behind them, both grinning at the surprised looks on their adversaries'' faces.

"What? How?" Danny demanded.

"Dan here gave us a lift. Valerie's outside taking care of your guard dog as we speak." Vlad explained, stepping forward menacingly as he continued, "Now stand aside, Daniel."

"Like Hell I will." Danny growled back, going into fighting stance.

"Very well."

Vlad, who was already in ghost mode, lunged at Danny and tackled him. They both fell to the ground, each landing blows on the other as they rolled around on the dangerously skinny stone catwalk. Meanwhile, Dan and Dani were circling one another, ignoring the fight going on nearby, each looking for an opening.

Dan stuck first, with a sudden deep breath he unleashed the ghostly wail that Danny was so well known for. Dani tired to dodge it, but was struck by the very edge of it, knocking her off balance and sending her over the edge of the catwalk. She fell only a few feet before she stopped herself and floated in the air a few feet below the catwalks.

Her nemesis fazed through the catwalk and stopped, floating a few feet away from her, a grin plastered firmly on his face. This served only to piss Dani off more and she flew at him with a yell.

Meanwhile, Danny and Vlad continued to roll around the catwalks. At last, Vlad hit Danny with his foot, sending the young Halfa flying off of him and landing with a groan a few feet away. The evil villain stood up, wiping some of the ectoplasm from his lip which had begun to bleed (ghosts bled ectoplasm, not blood).

"You still fight well, Daniel, I'll give you that." Vlad observed as he walked slowly toward Danny who was still lying on the ground trying to catch his breath through the pain in his side where Vlad had kicked him.

Just below them, Dani was fairing a little better. Her smaller size than her opponent allowed her to easily dodge the attacks of the larger, bulkier Dan. She was doing just this, and flew right under him before punching him in the base of his spine. This had the desired effect of temporarily stunning Dan long enough For Dani to land two more blows on his torso and face.

"You little bitch!" Dan screamed in fury, grabbing one of Dani's fists and punching her in the jaw.

Dani was forced back, and did not even have time to recover before Dan was on her again.

Up top, Danny was having no better luck. Despite his efforts, Vlad was gaining the upper hand. Danny tried to shoot off a blast of ecto-energy, but Vlad fired one first, which struck the young man right in the face. Danny stumbled back and actually walked right off the edge of the catwalk. He stopped his fall by catching himself on the edge of the stone walkway.

Meanwhile, Vlad ran toward a large circular disk that was connected to the catwalk system and was positioned right below the white cloud. He stood below the cloud and began chanting in some odd language that Danny had never heard before. It certainly wasn't Esperanto. The words had a marked effect on the cloud which began to swirl counterclockwise.

As the chanting continued, Danny was mesmerized by the swirling of the cloud, but was brought out of this near catatonic state when the cloud began to spiral downward toward Vlad. The white energy began to infuse into the elder Halfa's body and his eyes began to glow green. Danny pulled himself up and took a few steps toward the center; the wind was picking up and causing him to shield himself slightly.

Vlad suddenly stopped chanting and lowered his arms as the last of the cloud funneled into him. All went quiet for a moment and the only source of light in the room was Vlad who was still glowing brightly. He turned to Danny who was staring at him in shock and grinned evilly.

"Its over Daniel, you've lost." The supercharged Halfa called to Danny.

Then, Vlad exploded in a burst of energy that sent winds whipping around the chamber. One of these winds hit Danny and knocked him off his feet.

The last thought that went through the young man's mind was:

"What have we done?"

* * *

_All hell has broken loose and it's about to get worse! Danny and his allies seem to be having a rather bad run of the dice lately. Well, at least we got another look into Garrett's past. Review because it lifts my spirits (get it?) Cheers. _


	19. Regrouping and revising

Chapter 19

Regrouping and revising

The entire chamber began to come down in the aftermath of the energy explosion that had originated from Vlad. Chunks of the stone roof fell down and took out whole chunks of the catwalks running throughout the whole room. Dani floated back up above them, having lost sight of Dan in the falling debris. In any case, her focus now was to locate Danny and try to figure out their next move. Dani continued to scan the chamber, but it was difficult as she had to continually dodge from one spot to another to avoid falling chunks of stone.

Eventually, she spotted her target. Danny was struggling to stand on what remained of a catwalk. Danielle began to fly toward him.

"Danny, over here!" she shouted to him, and he briefly looked up at her before they were divided by a huge chunk or rubble falling down, cutting Danny off from Dani's view.

When it had moved past, Danny was gone. "Danny!" his clone shouted, looking around desperately for him. She was not able to search long, however. Larger and larger chunks of the ceiling were coming down on her and the whole structure of the chamber was crumbling. This forced her to flee toward the doorway, dodging slabs of stone from the ceiling as she did.

Dani reached the doorway and looked back one last time before fleeing into the hallway and blasting through its twists and turns until she was back out in the open. Once outside, she turned back to look at the structure. The entire thing caved in on itself, creating a massive cloud of dust as it did so. Since the building was floating in the midst of the Ghost Zone, rather than simply collapsing it also began to crumple into a ball. It packed tighter and tighter until; at last, it suddenly exploded, sending chunks of rock in every direction. Many of these projectiles almost struck Dani who had to use every bit of agility she had to avoid them.

"DANNY!" she shrieked as the structure came apart.

Danny had been in there. What if he had been killed? Where was he? Where was Wulf come to that? She was all alone.

After a while of staring at the spot where the structure had once been, and was now just a field of floating debris, Dani gave up and started the long journey back to the Fenton Portal entrance in the Ghost Zone.

"Please be waiting for me." She thought desperately, her mind still focused on Danny.

"Please be okay."

* * *

Danny's eyes opened and he found himself awake just in time to see the structure compact and then explode before him. Chunks of rubble came at him, but whoever was carrying him moved quickly. A pair of sharp caws opened up a portal in the Ghost Zone which the two then jumped through.

"Wulf." Danny whispered before losing consciousness again.

When he awakened yet again, he found himself lying on a couch like one that a person would find in a therapist's office. However, he was clearly not in a therapist's office. The shelves of books that surrounded him told Danny exactly where he was. He attempted to sit up and found himself facing a pair of green, concerned eyes.

"_Are you feeling alright my friend?" _a voice speaking Esperanto asked.

"_What…what happened?" _Danny asked, sitting up enough to face Wulf as he asked the question.

"_I'm not quite sure. The Focusing Stone began to collapse and so I went in to help if I could. I found you unconscious on the catwalk and so I helped you in fleeing." _Wulf explained, attempting to get Danny to lie back down.

Danny felt a large bump on his head where a small chunk of stone had hit him and knocked him out cold back in the chamber.

"Ahh so, the young hero awakens." Another voice broke in, and Danny turned to see Ghost Writer, covered in bruises of his own, approaching the couch.

"Writer, you look none the worse for wear." Danny observed with a grin at his approaching friend.

"Wish I could say the same of you." Writer replied, sitting down in a chair next to the couch.

Danny looked to Wulf. _"Do I look that bad?" _he asked.

"_Properly, from ordeal you just went through." _Wulf replied, putting a paw on Danny's shoulder sympathetically.

"_How did we get to the Library?" _Danny inquired of Wulf, looking around once again.

"_Another friend suggested it. So, here we are."_

"_What friend? Writer?"_

"No, me." Yet another new voice entered the conversation, and Clockwork appeared before them, looking very grim.

Danny actually sat up at the sight of the Master of Time, though his face showed anger rather than surprise.

"Why glare at me so? It was your failure, not mine." Clockwork reminded the young Halfa.

"What happened in that chamber? What has Vlad done?" Danny demanded, ignoring both Wulf and Writer's urgings for him to lie back down.

"Plasmius has channeled the Focusing Stone into his being, allowing him to control the outlet of spectral energy. It also means he can draw on a reserve of that energy. The power is limitless." Clockwork explained with a defeated sigh as he sat down next to the couch where Writer and Wulf had finally gotten Danny to recline once again.

"So…he's really strong now?"

"God-like strong." Writer broke in solemnly.

"_What can be done?" _this time Wulf spoke, his own anxiety matching those of his companions.

"I don't know." Clockwork admitted, shocking Danny completely.

"But…but you're the Master of Time! You've got to know some way of stopping him!" he exclaimed desperately.

"Some things are beyond even my abilities. The Focusing Stone is the most powerful object in the Ghost Zone, perhaps one of the most powerful in existence. If Vlad now has control of it, then I know not what could stop him."

"What I do not understand is how he knew about the Focusing Stone and its manuscript, or the chant for channeling the Stone for that matter. That information is kept secret even from Clockwork and me. Only the Overseers have access to such information." Writer explained with a shake of his head.

"You knew about the book." Danny pointed out to the ghostly author.

"Yes, but I am forbidden from reading it. I knew not its contents only that it was important and had to be guarded."

"Wait, you said the Overseers were the only ones who knew the chant. Maybe they know a way to stop Plasmius." Danny suggested to Clockwork hopefully.

However, the Master only shook his head sadly. "No, I just spent several hours locked in a debate with the Overseers. They know not how to stop the power of the Focusing Stone, and it took my convincing them that you could stop Plasmius to keep them from activating Purge Protocol." He explained sadly.

At the mention of "Protocol Purge," Writer shivered involuntarily.

"What's Protocol Purge?" the Halfa among them asked curiously.

"Protocol Purge was developed in the event that the human world ever posed a threat to the Ghost Zone. There's quite a bit of complication and tactic to it all, but the gist is literally the Ghost Zone launching a full scale war against the human world. The Overseers considered activating it in a preemptive strike to stop Plasmius from accomplishing his goal." Clockwork described a situation that Danny had prayed would never even become a possibility.

"My God." He whispered, "If they find out that Plasmius has gained control of the Stone, will they activate the protocol?"

"I doubt it; Plasmius can destroy both worlds in a moment if he so whishes." Clockwork replied with another sigh.

"So why does he not?" Writer asked suddenly, causing Wulf, Danny, and Clockwork to give him odd looks, "he has the power to destroy the worlds, why does he not do it?"

"Vlad's an egomaniac. He isn't the "destroy it" type, he's more the "take over and rule it" type." Danny suggested in a tone of disdain.

"Indeed." Clockwork said in a thoughtful tone, putting one hand on his chin and appearing to go into a deep process of thought, "Perhaps we can use his vanity against him."

"What good will that do? He's a demi-god now!"

"Calm yourself, Writer. All throughout history powerful men have been brought down by their vanity. Julius Caesar, Napoleon Bonaparte, Adolf Hitler; all of these men made crucial mistakes that cost them their power, we must wait for Plasmius to make his."

"You must return to the human world and find Plasmius. As you say, he will doubtlessly seek to control the human world. In order to do so, he must commit some great act that will instill fear into the populace. You must prevent it. If the humans bend to Plasmius's will, I shall not be able to continue convincing the Overseers not to initiate Protocol Purge. It must appear that the human seek to resist Plasmius." Clockwork placed both his hands on Danny's shoulders as he spoke to emphasize the importance of his words.

"Besides, if the Overseers do initiate the Protocol, then Plasmius will convince the humans that only he can protect them and they shall rally behind him. It would result in a catastrophic war that would have a horrendous cost in life." Writer added anxiously.

"But I have no idea where Plasmius is, or what his next move might be. It'll be like searching for a needle in a haystack." Danny protested, and he had a valid point.

"_Perhaps this may help." _Wulf, who had been silently listening to the doomful conversation, now spoke up and pulled a small folded piece of paper out of his hoodie.

"What's this?" the latter inquired, unfolding the piece of paper.

"_The young woman who Plasmius ordered to attack me did not do so, but rather handed that piece of paper and bayed me give it to you. Then, she disappeared." _Wulf explained, gesturing toward the message in Danny's hand.

Said Halfa looked down at the brief letter, which read:

_Danny, Vlad is a dangerous madman who must be stopped. Come by my office at Specter Tech. and we'll figure out a way to stop him. _

_Sincerely, Valerie. _

As he read the note, Danny actually began to smile.

"I think our luck just changed." He announced to the group.

* * *

Valerie entered her office which was abandoned to her surprise. She had expected Vlad, or Dan, or… _somebody_ to be waiting for her. But no, the office was empty, and so she went and sat down in the comfortable chair to await Danny's arrival. She did not have to wait long before the sounds of footsteps outside in the hallway drew her attention. Valerie stood up to greet her visitor when the door to her office. To her complete surprise, Vlad appeared in the doorway.

He had shifted back to human form, but Valerie noted that his eyes still glowed green. In fact, he seemed to excrete a powerful energy.

"Hello, Valerie." Vlad greeted her with a grin that unnerved the young woman greatly.

"V…Vlad!" What happened? The structure started to collapse and I ran. Where's Dan?" Valerie spoke, trying to appear calmer than she felt.

"Dan is waiting for me at another location. Now that I have channeled the Focusing Stone, we are moving on with the plan. However, you will be glad to hear that it will be just me and Dan from here on out. I just wanted to stop by and thank you for all of your assistance." Vlad explained, strolling almost nonchalantly over to the desk and walking behind it.

Valerie moved around the opposite side of the desk, careful to keep the slab of oak between her and the elder Halfa. If he noticed this, Vlad did not show it. Instead, he actually sat down in Valarie's chair before continuing.

"You've been most helpful to me, Valerie, most helpful." He continued in a voice that made the latter feel oddly unsettled.

"Uhhh, yeah. Glad I could be of assistance. Now, if you don't mind, I have a company to run and…" Valerie began nervously, but Vlad cut her off.

"Do you want to know a neat trick I learned from an old movie I saw as a child?" He asked as he took a pen out of Valerie's desk, "you see, when you write something on a note pad or something of the like, it leaves behind an indentation. So, if you just do this…" Vlad began to rub the pen on the surface of a small notepad that still sat on Valerie's desk top.

Words began to appear on the blank piece of paper, and when it was completely filled out, Vlad read them.

"Danny, Vlad is a dangerous madman who must be stopped. Come by my office at Specter Tech. and we'll figure out a way to stop him. Sincerely, Valerie." He read the message aloud, causing the CEO's heart to stop beating.

Vlad looked up at her, anger now blazing in his eyes, an anger he had evidently been concealing since his arrival.

"As I said, you've been most helpful to me, Valerie. Now, as far as you being loyal on the other hand…that's another matter."

Valerie turned to run toward her office door, but Vlad was too quick. He leapt over the desk and grabbed the young woman. In one swift motion, he spun her around and stabbed the pen in his hand right into her gut. He did this several times until a small patch of holes existed right about where Valerie's liver was located. Blood was flowing freely from the wounds and, with a groan of pain, Valerie fell against her desk and slid to the floor.

Vlad stood over her, staring down at his mortally wounded, former ally.

"I could have killed you instantly if I wanted to, but I want your death to be slow so that you can think about what has led you to this pass." Vlad explained.

"You see, Valerie, you and Daniel are so much alike. When you were both teenagers I offered you a place by my side, but you both spurned me in the end. Now, when you have both grown older and matured, I have made the same offer to you again, something I did not give Daniel. Yet, once again, you have spurned by offer and betrayed me. Well, you've bet the wrong way this time, Valerie, and now you shall pay for it. By tomorrow evening the world shall know my power after I have killed _President_ Foley. Not only will it force the populace to my will, but I will also gain my vengeance on that tech-nerd turned politician." Vlad went on for a few minutes, his grin growing wider all the while, "Two birds, one stone, eh?"

Valerie said nothing, only continued to staunch the flow of blood from her torso (though not ver successfully as a puddle of red was forming around her).

"Well, I'm on a tight schedule, and can't stick around for your…_departure_…I'm afraid. Farewell Valerie, pity you chose the losing side." Vlad called as he exited the office, leaving Valerie to soak in her own blood flowing from her wounds,

and her tears which had begun to flow from her eyes.

* * *

_This chapter had its ups and downs to me. On the downside, I felt it was kind of rocky in transition and a bit short. However, on the upside, it tells us how high the stakes how grown and leaves you all on a simply_ delicious _cliff hanger (I like those in case you lot haven't noticed). Anyways, let me know what you thought in a review. Cheers._


	20. Heroes gained and lost

Chapter 20

Heroes gained and lost

Danny and Wulf arrived outside the Specter Tech. headquarters through a portal created by Wulf. They were just outside the building, Wulf looking up at the tall structure in awe.

"Valerie's office is on the top floor. You wait down here. If I'm not back in thirty minutes, check on me." Danny instructed his companion, who nodded.

The Halfa then flew up to the top floor and fazed through the wall into Valerie's office. It was a mostly sparse room with only a desk near the end. To Danny's utter shock, leaning up against the front of the desk in a pool of blood was Valerie.

"Oh my God, Valerie?!" Danny gasped as she strode over to the wounded young woman and knelt in front of her.

Her head lifted slightly, revealing her face had turned an almost ghostly shade of pale and the light in her eyes had begun to dim. Death was surely approaching.

"Danny" she whispered, "good to see you."

"Don't talk…don't…Jesus Christ, Val, who did this?" Danny was still in complete shock at the sight of the blood oozing from the grievous injuries in her lower gut.

"Vlad, that bastard, he…he found out about me contacting you. Wasn't too pleased about it." The latter explained, groaning in pain occasionally.

"We need to get you to a hospital." her guest insisted, attempting to hoist Valerie to her feet, but she shook her head.

"No…it's too late for that. You need to listen." Valerie insisted, refusing to budge, "Vlad's going to kill Tucker."

"What, Tucker from school? But he's the president now. He's the most guarded man in the country."

"They won't be able to stop him. He's grown more powerful by the minute."

"Valerie please, we have to…"

"_You _have to get to D.C. and stop him. If he pulls it off people will follow him as their leader."

"No way, I'm getting you to a hospital,…you…you" Danny's opposition was fading as he saw the hopelessness in Valerie's eyes, and tears actually began to form in his eyes.

Valerie saw this and wiped one of them away with her hand.

"No, no tears for me." She said in a quiet voice, despite the fact that she too had begun to cry, "I…I deserve this" she sobbed.

Danny shook his head fervently. "No, no, you do _not _deserve this!" he insisted resolutely.

"I should have…I should have stood up for you…in school. I shouldn't have helped him. I've been nothing but a tool for evil Danny. Trust me…this is as it should be." Valerie continued in a calm voice, placing a hand on Danny's cheek and smiling, "You're still so handsome."

Danny placed his own hand on the one on his cheek and smiled slightly, still staring into her eyes.

"I still love you." She whispered, "I just wish…you had loved me."

"I know." Danny replied, once again starting to cry.

"Danny, there's something else…Vlad….he…he…knows about…about…M…M…Mad…" Valerie tried to speak one last time, but her breathing became labored and her eyes rolled back in her head as she expelled her last breath.

For a moment, Danny just stared into her lifeless eyes. Eventually, he reached up and closed her eyelids before standing up with a sigh. His shoes were red with Valerie's blood which he had been standing in and some had gotten on the grey t-shirt he was wearing as well as the pair of jeans he had on.

He looked down at the deceased and whispered: "Rest in peace, Valerie Gray."

There was a noise behind Danny, and he turned to see Wulf staring at the body on the floor.

"_What happened?" _the werewolf inquired.

"_Vlad killed her." _Danny replied, anger now filling his voice.

"_So what now?" _

Without a word, Danny walked over to Valerie's body and picked it up.

"_I won't leave her here to be found when they finally decide to look for her. We should bury her." _He insisted.

Wulf said nothing, but nodded his agreement, and so they both left the building to bury Danny's former enemy who had long since become one of his closest friends.

* * *

Dani exited the Fenton Portal feeling absolutely exhausted. However, she had no chance to rest, for as soon as she arrived in the lab she was immediately greeted by the surprised looks of Garrett and Sam.

"Dani, where's Danny?" Garrett inquired, approaching her with a worried look.

Unable to keep herself standing anymore as exhaustion over took her, Dani shifted back into human form and collapsed into Garrett's arms. He caught her and moved the young woman over to a nearby chair which he laid her down in. Dani looked up at him with her blue eyes and met his own.

"Garrett." She whispered with a slight smile, "thank you."

"Dani, what happened?" said engineer asked with concern.

"We tried to stop Vlad, but…he did something. Then the whole place started to collapse. And Danny…oh God, Danny." She explained in a whisper.

"What happened?! Where is Danny!?" Sam broke in, approaching the two.

"Hey, when did you get here?" Dani asked in surprise, sitting up a little straighter at the sight of Sam.

"I've been here for a while, where's Danny?" Sam persisted in her inquiry.

"I don't know, I couldn't find him after the chamber began to collapse."

"Is he dead?" Garrett asked.

"No" Sam answered to both of their surprise, "he's out there."

"Well then, I have no idea where." Dani replied, a hint of agitation in her voice.

"And what about Vlad? What did he do that caused a whole chamber to collapse?" Garrett threw in his own line of inquiry.

"I don't know, he absorbed this big cloud of energy or something. It was downright scary, I'll tell you that. And now for all we know Danny may have died and…" Dani was rambling on when Sam's head shot up and she glared at Danielle with fire in her eyes.

"You knew." She accused the clone.

At first the latter said nothing. Then, looking down at the concrete floor she slowly nodded her head. "I gave him a ride to Chicago that night." She confessed.

"How is it that everyone here knew my husband was alive EXCEPT ME!?" Sam's voice rose to a shout at the last part.

"Sam, I'm sorry, he made me promise…"

"I made promises with him before an alter, and I'd say he's broken quite a few of them!"

"You didn't see him that night, Sam, it was heart breaking! I'm never seen him more distraught! So don't once think it was an easy choice for him to make!" Dani shouted, standing up and placing her face only inches from Sam's.

"None of that matters now!" Garrett stepped between the two women, placing a hand on each one in order to hold the other back, "we can't change the past, we can only do the right thing now."

"Something Danny and his friends are failing to do by not taking me to him!" Sam retorted angrily.

"SAM, THERE ARE BIGGER THINGS GOING ON RIGHT NOW THAN YOU AND DANNY!" the young man practically screamed it in Sam's face causing her to fall silent.

A tense silence hung over the whole group for a few minutes as Garrett calmed himself and Dani stood by nervously.

"He's right" the female Halfa spoke up, "if Danny really is gone, then it's down to us to stop Vlad."

Sam said nothing, but nodded in agreement, which relieved her two companions.

"Alright, you best fill me in on what all's happened." She said.

* * *

Fortunately for Danny and Wulf, the Specter Tech. headquarters was on the outskirts of San Francisco, so finding a burial spot in the woods beyond was fairly easy. Danny chose a spot that overlooked the city and its massive "Golden Gate Bridge".

"She would have appreciated the view." He thought as Wulf finished filling in the hole the skilled werewolf had dug for Valerie.

They did not have much in the way of funeral elements, and so they had to be content with wrapping the body in a curtain from Valerie's office. Once Wulf finished, he stood back and scrutinized his work. The dirt mound was not very high, so that unless someone was relatively close to it, the grave would be hard to spot. Danny had broken off two sticks from a nearby tree and lashed them together into a sort of makeshift cross using strips from the curtain they had taken. On the sticks he had carved "V.G."

Once the grave was filled, Danny stabbed this makeshift cross into the ground behind it to mark the spot, then he too stood back to gaze over their work.

"_If you wish a moment, I shall wait for you near the road." _Wulf suggested, gesturing back in the direction of the nearest highway.

"_Yes, thank you."_ The latter replied with an appreciative nod.

The werewolf disappeared into the woods, while Danny continued to stare down at the grave. He didn't really know what to say, but it seemed wrong to just leave without saying a word on Valerie's behalf.

Danny had not been raised in a very religious household. Both his parents, being the devote scientists they were, had never accepted any religion for their own, thus, they had never imparted any sort of beliefs onto their children other than "ghosts are evil" (which Danny, as well as his parents, had come to realize was false over the years of his being a Halfa).

Despite this, Danny would not have defined himself as an Atheist. He believed in a higher power, he just didn't know what it was or what it wanted.

Ignoring these handicaps, Danny still gave a eulogy his best shot.

"God, or whoever's up there, I don't know if can hear me, but if you can…please …take care of her." He began slowly, gesturing toward the grave.

"She was a good person, all in all. I mean…sure she made some mistakes, but we all do, it's what makes us human."

Danny paused for a moment, and all that could be heard was the sound of the wind rustling the tree branches overhead. After a minute or so, he continued.

"She didn't always make the right choices, but she was my friend…for the most part. So take care of her…whoever's out there. Take care of her."

With that, he turned and walked away from the grave, never looking back. Wulf was waiting behind a clump of trees near the road. His gaze held sympathy as the clearly distraught Danny approached.

"_So what happens now?"_ the werewolf inquired.

"Vlad's gonna try to kill Tucker. I have to get to D.C. and stop him."

"_We shall go to D.C. then."_

"No, not we, just me. I have to do this alone. No more putting the people I care about in danger." Danny insisted fervently.

"_But you can't take him on by yourself"_ Wulf protested, but it was in vain.

"_Just give me a lift to D.C. please, I'll do the rest." _Danny persisted, placing a hand on his companion's furry arm.

Wulf looked reluctant, but he relented and opened a ghost portal which he and Danny headed through, leaving the area…

And its permanent occupant a few feet away, forever resting in her grave.

* * *

Sam remained silent even after Dani and Garrett had finished their story. She appeared deep in thought over what she had been told and so said nothing at first.

"I suppose the first thing to do would be to locate Vlad." She said slowly.

"But how, he could be anywhere out there. I mean, unless he just starts cutting a path of destruction through the country, there's no way we'll find him." Dani pointed out with a defeated sigh.

"Perhaps not, I've been looking over the equipment in the lab here. There's some sort of specter tracker device that, if I hotwire it to the old Fenton satellite uplink (Maddie had managed to garner government permission to utilize one of their military satellites for ghost observation.) we may be able to track Vlad." Garrett broke in thoughtfully.

"The Fenton Ghost Tracker can only detect so far. Even hooked up to a satellite we wouldn't be able to detect a single individual's spectral energy." Sam pointed out as she moved to stand next to Garrett, who had gone over to the computer and begun booting it up.

"But Dani said that Vlad absorbed a large amount of spectral energy, which means his energy signature will be much larger. We can at least get a good idea of the area he is in and that will shrink down the search zone anyways."

Sam considered the suggestion, and then nodded her consent. "Fine, let's give it a whirl." She agreed. Garrett went to work typing away on the computer. Sam and Dani watched as he did so, but neither really understood the complex code that appeared on the computer screen.

"A computer genius too I see." Dani observed with a grin.

"Computer science was my first choice at MIT but I switched to engineering later." Garrett explained as he continued working.

Eventually, he gave a loud cry of triumph as the screen shifted to a view of North America from space.

"I did it, I'm in, and the satellite is in perfect position." Garrett announced grandly.

"Okay, so where's Vlad?" Sam asked, seeing only a simple readout of the North American continent.

"Okay, now I just have to sync the spectral scanner…" the young engineer began to work away on the keyboard yet again, and the readout of North America suddenly turned different shades of color.

These colors ranged from a light blue, to an almost blood red. The most prominent was a large patch of blood red over about where Washington D.C. was.

"The heaviest concentration is in the Northern Virginia area from the looks of it." Garrett analyzed the readings closely.

"That's still quite a bit of ground to cover." Dani pointed out to the other two.

"True, but it's a start." Garrett insisted, a bit defensively.

Sam, who had remained oddly quiet, suddenly spoke up.

"He's in D.C." she said with confidence.

"How do you know?" Dani asked in surprise.

"Tucker's President of the United States. He'll try to kill Tucker. It will be the gesture of power he needs to bring the country under his thumb, and it will grant him personal vengeance against Tucker. He was me and Danny's friend in high school, and he helped us beat Vlad on more than one occasion." The latter explained.

"That's trued" Dani confirmed, turning back to Garrett.

Garrett said nothing, only continuing to stare at the computer screen. This annoyed Dani slightly.

"A penny for your thoughts." She pressed him.

"I think we need to get to D.C., and fast." Garrett replied somberly.

"I believe I can assist you with that." A voice called, and the group turned to see Maddie, standing in the door way to the basement.

"Maddie!" Sam exclaimed, standing up slightly.

"Hello Sam, how are you?" the elder woman asked, approaching her daughter-in-law and giving her a hug.

"Now, I have something you can use to get to D.C. if you like." She continued after her and Sam parted from their embrace.

"Really, what?" Garrett asked, sounding actually a little excited.

"Follow me." Maddie led them back upstairs and into the garage where a large…something…was covered by a blue tarp. Maddie (with some assistance from Garrett) pulled of the tarp to reveal the Fenton Family Ghost Assault Vehicle, an old RV that had been tricked out with an array of ghost fighting weaponry.

"I did my best to keep the old FFGAV functional. She'll get you to D.C. anyway, and who knows, she might have some surprises left in her yet." Maddie explained, handing the keys to Sam, "you better get going, it's a good thirteen hour drive to D.C., and that's without stops."

"Thank you, Maddie." Sam said, giving her mother-in-law one last hug before climbing into the driver's seat.

Garrett and Dani piled in as well, and Sam started the old RV (which actually started fairly well considering its age) and backed out through the open garage door and down the driveway.

"Kiss Danny for me!" Maddie shouted.

"If I don't kill him first!" Sam shouted back, then the RV sped off down the road, Maddie watching as it retreated from view.

"Good luck Team Phantom, our hopes go with you" she whispered after them.

* * *

_Its been a long road, but we're finally on the path to final confrontation. A new Team Phatom assembles, and goes to meet our hero in Washington. The question is, will he want their help? Sad scene between Danny and Valerie, I actually started to tear up a bit writing it, although that might have been because I was listening to "Knocking on Heaven's Door" by Bob Dylan when I wrote it (those of you who've heard the song, you know why). Anyways, review and let me know how things look on your end. Cheers. _


	21. My cross to bear

Chapter 21

My cross to bear

Garrett was awakened by someone nudging him slightly, and his eyes opened with a start. Before him stood Danielle, who was looking down at him with a slight smile. For a moment Garrett admired her beauty in the morning sun that filtered into the Fenton RV. He had been sleeping in one of the beds near the back over the night.

"Morning sleepyhead, you were out for quite awhile." Dani observed with a giggle, "Anyway, we're there."

The latter stood up suddenly. "We've made it to D.C. already? What time is it?"

"Almost ten in the morning; like I said, you were out awhile."

They had left Amity Park about nine o'clock the previous night. Each had taken a turn on the wheel (Garrett's had been sometime between Indiana and West Virginia). Now, Sam was driving in silence as they roared down the main road. Garrett stood and looked out one of the windows. The Washington Monument could be seen a few yards off.

"Okay, so let's find a hotel. We pool our money together and we should have decent amount I think." Sam called back to her companions.

"No objections here. We'll need some place to plan our next move." Garrett agreed with a nod, turning his attention to Sam and sitting down in the passenger's seat.

"Out of curiosity, do we even know what are next move is going to be?" Dani inquired.

"That's why we need a place to plan one out." Said greenhorn Halfa replied absentmindedly as he consulted the Fenton GPS for directions to the nearest hotel.

As it turned out, the nearest hotel was a La Quinta only a few blocks from the White House itself. They moved into a simple room with two beds (Sam and Dani agreeing to share one). However, Garrett had insisted access to the internet. Now, as Sam dropped off the last of the equipment they had brought with them in the room, said engineer was setting up a laptop and several other tech implements.

"Setting up surveillance over President Foley will be difficult. They won't let us anywhere near him." Garrett pointed out as he typed away on the computer.

"If I can get a message to him, he'll grant some concessions I'm sure." Sam replied confidently.

"They're not just going let you walk in and talk to him, or send messages either; he's the most important man in the country." Dani reminded her "sister-in-law".

"If he knew I was here, he'd let us help him!" the latter insisted resolutely.

"Then I suppose that just leaves contacting him."

A silence hung over the group as each tired to think of a way to contact the President. Eventually, after some time of silence, during which, Dani and Sam unpacked some more of the Fenton Ghost fighting equipment they had brought with them, Danielle spoke up.

"I have an idea" she said slowly, "that just might work."

Sam smiled appreciatively at her.

"We're all ears."

* * *

A group of men all dressed in black suits and wearing dark sunglasses stood in the Oval Office. They all stood at attention when the office door opened and in stepped President Tucker Foley.

"Good morning gentlemen. We have much to discuss. About the State Dinner this evening…" the president began.

"Sir, if I may, I would once again voice my objections to the Dinner this evening. With all that had been going on lately, and based off intelligence from the GIW, Masters remains a serious threat. I believe you should cancel the event, or at least not attend yourself, sir." The leader of the men suggested for the third time that day.

"Baxter, I have already told you before and this is the last time we shall have this conversation: I am the President of the United States. People expect to be able to see their leader in this country. I will mix and mingle; it is just as important I do so as balancing the budget. I _will_ attend the party this evening." Tucker repeated what he had said twice before, much to Dash Baxter's displeasure.

Tucker moved over to his desk and sat down with an exhausted sigh. "What else is on toady's agenda?" he asked.

His aid began naming off other things on his agenda that day, but Tucker was only half-listening. His attention was drawn to an envelope sitting on his desk. He was a bit surprised at first, having not noticed it before. After a few seconds, he picked up the envelope, opened it, and began to read the letter inside. As the president read the message, he garnered a smile that grew wider by the second.

"Mr. President, sir?" his aid inquired, seeing his boss distracted so.

"Mr. Heath, we had some State Dinner invitations left over did we not?"

"Yes sir, we did."

"I would like you to send one to the La Quinta in on Jefferson Boulevard, room 346, and see to it that it arrives there as soon as possible." Tucker instructed the man, who wore a puzzled expression at these instructions.

"May I ask who the invitation is for, sir?"

"Just an old friend, now come, there is still much to do." The president replied, standing up and exiting the officer, with is aid and several of the Secret Service men following.

Agent Baxter did not follow them immediately, but instead took a brief moment to investigate the letter which President Foley had left on his desk. He scanned over the document, and his eyebrows rose when he saw the name signed at the end.

"Sam Fenton, well I'll be damned." He thought with surprise.

Dash scrutinized the letter no further, and exited the Oval Office as well. No one had noticed the invisible Danielle who stood in one corner of the room and smiled at her successful delivery of the letter.

"That's one part of the plan done, onto the next one." She thought, fazing through the wall of the Oval Office, leaving it abandoned…

Or so she thought. As soon as Dani was gone, another invisible source picked up the letter off the desk and disappeared with it.

* * *

Garrett, after finishing his own preparations, and feeling a want to explore the city while Dani and Sam carried out their own tasks, had set out into D.C. to do some sightseeing. After all, there was no sense in waiting in anxious worriment back in the hotel room…and he had always wanted to see the Lincoln Memorial and other such sights. Garrett had intended to do so with his parents at one point, but of course they had been killed in a car accident on the way to his graduation ceremony at MIT.

The young man shook his head in an effort to clear his thoughts of such dark memories as he strode down the crowded streets of Washington. Garrett spent the rest of the morning and well into the afternoon visiting different sites. Each one filled him with a sense of awe, and had his mind not been weighted down with other matters, he might have enjoyed himself.

However, when he eventually neared the Washington Monument a wild, yet appealing idea entered his head. Checking to make sure he wasn't being followed, Garrett ducked into a nearby alleyway and shifted into ghost form. He had already more or less mastered going invisible, but flying was something new to him.

"Okay, focus on what you want, focus" he thought, closing his eyes tightly.

Like when he was going invisible, Garrett focused on the charge of energy that seemed to flow through him. This time however, he willed it to lift his body. After a few minutes, he opened his eyes and looked down, after which, he let out a sharp gasp. He was indeed floating, a few feet above the ground. Focusing even more, he found he could make himself go even higher. However, as it turned out, floating was the easy part, next came steering. It took a bit of time and experimentation, but Garrett eventually developed a method for moving around. Once this was accomplished, he aimed himself toward his target, the Washington Monument. With a bit of adjustment, he headed straight for its pointed pinnacle and paused in a hover just above it.

Still invisible, he attracted no attention as he gently landed on the top of it. It was not the easiest position to maintain, and he had to balance himself carefully, but none the less, Garrett Long stood at the top of the Washington Monument and stared out over the city below him. It was a gorgeous sight.

"You know, I could really get used to this sort of thing." He said aloud.

"I thought that at one time." A voice replied, shocking Garrett so much that he actually lost his balance and began to slide off the tip of the monument.

Something seemed to catch him under the arms and keep Garrett aloft until he regained his senses and continued providing his own flotation.

"W…who's there?!" he demanded.

"Relax Bobby, don't need you hurting yourself." The voice replied.

"Danny?"

"We should go somewhere we can talk. This way." Garrett felt Danny take a hold of his hand and guide him away from the monument back toward street level. They both landed in an alleyway, where both Halfas went visible once more and shifted back to human form.

"What are you doing here?" Garrett asked once they were back out on the sidewalk.

"Valerie told me that Vlad planned to assassinate President Foley. What about you?"

"We tailed Vlad here with the Fenton Ghost Tracker."

" We?"

"Me, Dani, and Sam."

Danny froze in mid-walk. "Sam's here too?" he asked anxiously.

"Yeah, she's helping us find Vlad. How did you find me?" Garrett answered the question in an almost nonchalant way, much to Danny's ire.

"Don't act like my wife being here is unimportant!" he hissed angrily.

"What's the difference!? She's not here looking for you!" the latter replied with equal anger.

They both stared at one another for a moment, each matching the other's will. It was a very tense silence.

"Look, let us help you, we're all here for the same reasons."

"I never asked for your help."

"I'm your friend; you don't need to ask for it!"

"BOBBY, I DON'T NEED YOU AND THE GIRL'S BODIES ON MY CONSCIENCE!" Danny shouted desperately, causing Garrett to once again fall silent.

"How long are you going to keep carrying around your guilt, Danny? About Jazz, about Sam. What's the point of always lugging that burden around?" he whispered.

"It's my burden to bear, my cross, not yours. Valerie…Jesus Christ, Valerie died in my arms. Vlad stabbed her, killed her, and I swear I'll make the cocksucker pay!" Danny muttered as he turned and walked away from Garrett, "go home and take the girls with you, Bobby."

"You if need help, we're staying at the La Quinta on Jefferson Boulevard, room 346. We're not going anywhere." Garrett shouted after him.

Danny said nothing in reply as he disappeared into the crowd of people on the sidewalk.

"We're not going anywhere." His friend whispered the line a second time after Danny.

* * *

Danny wasn't sure how long he walked aimlessly along the streets of D.C. Eventually, he finally made his way back to the motel where he was staying after he and Wulf parted company the previous night.

"_Good luck my friend. Much hangs on your success" _he remembered the werewolf's last words to him before heading back to the Ghost Zone.

Now, Danny sat down on the bed in his small room with deep sigh. Garrett's words ran about in his mind.

"_How long are you going to keep carrying around your guilt, Danny?"_

"_About Jazz, about Sam."_

Maddie's voice joined the others in his memory.

"_No one blames you for Jazz's death. You have to stop blaming yourself."_

Danny buried his face in his hands as the voice continued to sound in his brain.

_"Is that how you cope with the guilt, then? Drown it out with booze?"_

"_I deserve this."_

"_Why didn't you tell me about her?"_

This last voice caused Danny to look up from his hands at the blank white wall before him. After several minutes of near catatonic staring, he came to a decision. Some part of him said that it was not a smart one, but he ignored that part and reached over to the phone sitting on the nightstand next to the bed. He picked up the phone and took out a phonebook from the drawer of the stand. After flipping through several pages, he found the number he was looking for: the La Quinta Inn on Jefferson Boulevard.

He dialed the number and listened to the phone ring.

"La Quinta Inn front desk, how may I help you?" a curt voice answered.

"Yes, can you connect me to room 346?" Danny requested.

"Yes sir, just one moment."

There was a dull, lulling sound, following by the phone ringing once more.

"Hello?" a voice Danny had missed so long answered.

"Sammy?" he whispered.

There was a silence on the other end for a few minutes.

"Danny? Is that you?" Sam's voice came through again at last, sounding shaky.

"Hey Sammy, how you doing?"

"Where are you?"

"You know I won't answer that."

"Danny, please…!"

Another silence as Danny chose his next words carefully.

"We can talk from here, can't we?" he asked tentatively.

"Why? Why did you leave? Why didn't you come home?" Sam began immediately.

"I was protecting you."

"Protecting me? By leaving me alone?"

"Sam, please try to understand! I didn't want you to share the same fate as Jazz. I couldn't bear the thought of that."

"So instead you'd abandon me?!"

"I knew you were tough enough to take care of yourself. You've always been a fighter, Sammy."

"That's more than I can say for you, running from your responsibilities as you did!" Sam's anger finally burst forth.

"I didn't run from them, I accepted them! I accepted the responsibility of protecting you, even if that meant separation. You think I haven't missed you? You think I haven't regretted what I've done?!" Danny replied, his tone not changing.

"Then let what's done be done. We can work something out, if you'll just meet with me face-to-face." Sam insisted.

"Sam, I'm sorry, I can't." Danny whispered.

Sam, seeming to take this as his closing remarks before hanging up, shouted desperately: "You have a daughter!"

Danny fell silent and his heart rate quickened. He had already known this fact of course, but still, hearing it from Sam still heightened his anxiety.

"She…she has your eyes." Sam contoured in a broken voice, clearly in tears on the other end.

Without another word, Danny slammed the phone down on the receiver, unable to continue the conversation. After this was done, he went back to staring blankly at the wall. Finally, the tears came. They poured from Danny's eyes as the weight of his guilt, added by his failure to be a good father, crushed down on him yet again.

And so that was how he spent the rest of the afternoon, crying on his bed over the family he had lost…

…the family he would never have.

* * *

Contact at last! I know many of you have been anticipating that. :) If it fell short of your expectations, than I apologize, but it is only the first conversation between our favorite couple. And it leaves still enough questions I think to keep you lot interested. More background on Garrett as well, he's had a rough early life no? Review and give me your opinion on the chapter if you will. Cheers.


	22. Redux

Chapter 22

Redux

Sam arrived with Garrett at the entrance to the White House where the State Dinner was being held. She wore a new dress that she had bought just earlier that afternoon, right before Danny had called her. Sam had decided that the best way to find Danny was to attend the party, plain and simple.

"He's here for the same reason we are." She had reasoned, "If he wants to protect Tucker, he'll be at that party."

As a result, Garrett gave her a ride to the party (he had not been given an invitation), and pulled up a few feet from the entrance.

"You ever been to one of these State Dinners before?" he inquired, breaking the oddly tense silence.

"No, Danny and I got invited to a few big dinners when Tucker was mayor of Amity Park, but only Danny ever went. I stayed away from them on principle." Said young woman explained as she looked out the window of the Fenton RV at the illuminated White House.

Garrett chuckled slightly. "Probably a good thing. It's a hell of a rat race, politics. My dad was in the House of Representatives, representing Massachusetts, he always used to come home and talk about all the corruption and stuff." He explained, his voice growing quieter.

"What happened to your parents?" Sam inquired in a quiet tone of her own.

The latter said nothing at first, he simply stared at the dash of the RV for a few minutes. Finally, after a deep sigh, he spoke.

"They were on their way to MIT to watch me graduate. They were almost to the University when some guys, who had "celebrated" a bit too much and were out driving, rammed them. Mom died on the scene, dad died a few hours later in the hospital. The police came and got me just after I had received my Masters."

"I'm so sorry."

"Yeah, me too."

"Well, thank you for the ride here."

Garrett nodded. "We'll be on standby, me and Dani, if you need us. Just give us a call."

Sam exited the RV and walked up the grassy lawn with several other guests, all dressed in their fanciest duds. They were so fancy in fact, that Sam still felt out of place in her own dress. Nonetheless, she ignored this nervousness and strode boldly to the front door. There was a large line-up of people trying to enter the White House, kept in order by the attending Secret Service Agents. This line was due to all of the guests having to go through a scanning process before entering.

"Ma'am, I need you to remove your shoes and place them on this conveyor, please." An agent ordered Sam upon her reaching the front door.

She did as she was told and removed her high heels which she set down on the black conveyor belt next to the door. While the shoes were passed through an x-ray machine, Sam was led over to a large full-body scanning machine which she was bidden to enter. She did so, and held her arms over her head while the machine did a scan.

"She's clear, next!" the man at the control consul shouted.

Sam exited the machine and put back on her shoes before heading into the banquet hall. It was packed with guests mingling in groups or individually. The sounds of idle chatter filled the hall as Sam made her way through it, anxiously scanning the faces of those she could see in an effort to locate either Tucker or Danny.

"He's got to be here." She thought desperately, "he's got to."

* * *

Danny approached the White House from the back. He had not been given an invitation or anything, so entering the party was going to require some skill. The grounds themselves were patrolled by Secret Service agents. However, none of them had any of the necessary equipment to detect a Halfa, so he sneaked by them easily enough by going intangible and slipping by.

However, when he reached the outside walls of the building, Danny encountered another obstacle. At first, he tried to pass through the wall as usual. However, a force threw him back with a painful shock.

"Magnetically sealed." He thought, walking around the outer wall (careful to remain invisible.).

Indeed, all of the walls had been magnetically sealed. Danny must have spent twenty minutes circling the White House in an effort to locate a wall he could pass through. At last, he found one, a small patch that had not been set with sealers. He passed through it and found himself in a janitor's closet.

"If I found this little hole in their defenses, Vlad definitely found it." Danny whispered to himself.

Indeed, he was certain Vlad was close by. He could feel it, that feeling of energy that he and Dani had felt in the chamber back in the Ghost Zone. Vlad was here alright. As inconspicuously as possible, Danny exited the janitor's closet and headed down the hall outside toward the banquet hall. He entered said dining area and found it brilliantly illuminated by several large chandeliers and filled with guests all taking amongst themselves. Sticking to a regiment of unobtrusiveness, Danny maneuvered slowly around to the far back of the room, where he loitered for some time.

"I'll just have to wait for Vlad to do whatever the hell he's planning to do." He decided, hanging around one of the large punch bowls.

One of the perks of Danny's lack of heavy socialization during high school was that he had a lot of practice at wall flowering. Therefore, it was not difficult for him to avoid the groups of chatting politicians and their wives as he stood off to one side of the large room.

However, he was just about to go for another glass of punch, when a Secret Service agent suddenly stopped right in front of him. Danny looked up at the man, and as soon as his eyes made contact with the dark sunglasses hiding the agent's, the agent grabbed Danny and dragged him into a restroom just outside the dining hall.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" the agent hissed, throwing Danny up against one of the toilet stalls.

"Nice to see you too Agent Baxter." Danny muttered scathingly, having recognized his former classmate and tormentor-turned-friend, Dash Baxter by his voice.

"Do you realize how suspicious you look? You've probably been spiked by five of my guys by now!"

"And here I was thinking that I was blending in." Danny reached up and removed the baseball cap he had been wearing. "I knew that was a stupid idea, but my hairdo is too well known by Sam" he thought, though he didn't voice it aloud.

"A party full of snobby politicians all flashing off their expensive duds and you think _that's_ blending in?" Dash pointed out, gesturing toward Danny's simple outfit.

"Hey, not all of us can afford to buy a tux." The latter shot back defensively.

"You probably can't even afford to _rent _one." Agent Baxter retorted, rolling his eyes as he did so.

"Is there a point to this?" Danny demanded, his patience starting to run thin.

"Yeah, it's the same question: why are you here? Do you realize that if they find you, they'll…"

"He's here, he's gonna try and kill Tuck." Danny interrupted Dash, not wanting to have to endure a lecture about his actions.

This piece of news had the intended effect of shutting Dash up temporarily. After a minute or so, he spoke. "Are you sure?"

"He's probably already in the banquet hall." Confirmed Danny with a nod.

"No way, I got men on every entrance, and they got pictures of him. There's no way he could get in!" Dash insisted with a shake of his head.

"He probably fazed through the walls." Suggested the Halfa, "or he could have overshadowed someone" he thought to himself.

"Nope, I've got magnetic sealers on every wall and ceiling. No ghost could get through."

Remembering his own entrance, Danny laughed at this. "Well then you should fire whoever placed the sealers because I got in through the back wall of the janitors closet." He explained, taking a secret delight in exposing Dash's men's carelessness.

Dash looked at the floor, embarrassment and anger written all over his face. "Damn it Fenton." He muttered.

Danny, still smiling, continued, "So, like I said, he's here, and he's gonna kill Tucker."

"How can you know for sure he's here?" Dash whispered, it more if a plea than a question.

"I can _feel _him, Dash!"

Said agent let out a sigh, and stared at the floor for what felt like an eternity to Danny. Finally, he looked back up at him, resolution in his eyes.

"Ok, I'll handle it, but you need to get out of here."

"No way, you'll need my help to stop him."

"We got this Fenton!"

Dash was putting up one hell of a fight, so Danny played the best ace he had up his sleeve.

"You think you do, but just how many of your agents are equipped to handle a ghost?"

"The Guys in White will back us up if we need them." Agent Baxter skillfully retorted.

"Their best response time is 15 minutes. Tucker will have been dead for ten by the time they get here." Danny wasn't sure if this was true, but he was trying anything and everything to convince Dash not to kick him out.

"What if someone recognizes you?!"

"No one else at this party, besides you and Tuck, knows me. I'll be fine."

"That's not true, Sam's here as well. I saw her a few minutes ago."

This information gave Danny pause, and he felt his stomach tighten. Sam was there? And looking for him no doubt.

"Does she know I'm here?" he inquired.

"I doubt it, she'd be on you in an instant." said Dash with a shrug.

"Look, I've got more important things to be dealing with than my ex-wife right now." Danny insisted, deciding to brush this new problem off for the time being.

"You know, you two are technically still married." The former football star reminded him.

Once again, Danny felt his stomach tighten at these words.

"Till death do us part, remember?" he said after a moment's hesitation.

"Yeah, but you're not dead. Not yet anyway." Dash pointed out.

"But she doesn't know that." This was, of course, an outright lie, but Danny didn't want Dash knowing his and Sam's business.

"Oh, I think she does." Damn, Dash was more perceptive than Danny gave him credit for.

"Are we done here?"Danny growled back, not wanting to carry on the subject any further.

The agent shrugged before stepping aside to allow Danny out of the bathroom.

"Don't expect me to save your ass if you get into an awkward situation." Dash called after him as he exited.

"You can count on it." Danny whispered as he headed back out into the banquet hall.

* * *

"SAM, RUN!" Danny shouted, pushing said young woman out of the way just before he was engulfed by a bluish-green beam of energy fired by Vlad.

Dash watched from behind his cover with his gun drawn in disbelief as Fenton was enveloped in the searing energy beam. After a few seconds the beam disappeared, leaving Danny standing there. He was only standing for about two seconds before he collapsed to the ground.

"DANNY!" Sam shrieked as she ran to her husband's side.

"Now, let's finish this shall we? I have more important matters to attend to!" Vlad announced terribly as, still hovering above the unconscious Danny and kneeling Sam, he began to charge up another ball of energy.

"I don't think so, Plasmius!" Dash called, stepping out from behind his cover and firing two shots at the hovering Halfa.

They were poorly aimed, and Vlad managed to dodge them with a fair amount of ease. Nonetheless, Dash had accomplished his goal of distracting his foe. Seeing their leader fighting the all powerful entity, other Secret Service men began to fire at Vlad. Eventually, the villain let out a shout of frustration and fired a ball of ecto-energy at one of the magnetic sealer on the roof. As soon as it was down, Dan fazed through the roof, an evil grin plastered firmly on his face.

The two evil entities then began to do battle with the ever growing number of Secret Service men, dodging bullet and blasting men with bolts of energy and other ghostly attacks. Men were wounded; still others were killed by the merciless attacks perpetrated by Dan and Vlad.

Meanwhile, Sam did her best to lift her KO'd hubby to his feet. TO her surprise, Tucker appeared and wrapped one of Danny's arms around his shoulder, assisting Sam in lifting the out cold young man.

"He's hurt bad; we need to get him out of here." Sam shouted over the din of the battle raging in the hall.

Tucker only nodded in agreement, and the two began to drag Danny toward the front door of the White House. As they did so, Sam awkwardly retrieved her cell phone and speed dialed Garrett (he had given her his number earlier).

"Sam, what's wrong?" Garrett's voice sounded anxiously over the phone.

"Garrett, you and Dani need to bring the van around, now!" the latter shouted into her phone before hanging up without waiting for a response. She needed to focus on Danny right now.

"Jeez, Vlad really socked him one." Tucker observed, noting the bad burns all over Danny as they continued to drag him toward the front door.

"I've never seen anything like what Vlad just did. Danny seems lucky to be alive." Sam agreed, examining her husband's injuries as well.

However, Vlad, who had just taken out three Secret Service agents with a well landed blast of energy, turned and noticed his adversary being drug away by his allies.

"Dan!" he shouted to his own accomplice, who turned to him. "Kill them! Especially Foley, he must die at all costs" Vlad ordered, gesturing toward the fleeing trio.

Dan grinned maliciously. "With pleasure." He replied before taking off after the fleeing heroes. Vlad turned to face the next wave of Secret Service men. He smiled evilly before charging another large back of energy and firing it, incinerating the men before they could even draw their weapons.

"I love it when I win." He thought to himself with a cruel laugh that reverberated around the hall.

Outside, Dani and Garrett came to a screeching halt at the edge of the White House lawn. Sam and Tucker were still carrying Danny, and brought him into the RV before laying him down on one of the beds.

"Mr. President." Garrett greeted Tucker with an awed expression, and even bowed slightly.

"Under the circumstances, I don't think that's necessary, thank you all the same though." Tucker replied with an appreciative nod.

"People, we've got company." Dani, who sat in the driver's seat, pointed out the speedily approaching form of Dan.

"Punch it! Sam shouted, and Dani obeyed, slamming on the gas.

The RV sped off into the roads of D.C. with Dan in hot pursuit. The sounds of fighting could still be heard from the White House, and now other authorities were starting to arrive. None of it mattered to the retreating group however as they sped off into the brilliantly illuminated city, Dan right behind them.

The chase was on…

* * *

_Happy Thanksgiving all. Those of you who have been reading this story since the beginning will be very familiar with this chapter. Those of you who haven't, shame on you, go back to the first chapter, read it, then you'll be up to speed a little. Hope everybody has a good holiday, and please review if you can find the time in your schedules, busy as I know you all to be. Cheers. _


	23. Halfas, chases, and marriages, oh my!

Chapter 23

Halfas, chases, and marriages, oh my

The sounds of sirens filled the air as what seemed like every cop in D.C. rushed toward the White House. The Fenton RV dodged in and out of the oncoming traffic as best she could until they turned onto a more deserted street. Inside, Dani was driving while Sam and Tucker stood over the still unconscious Danny who lay on one of the beds. Garrett sat in the passenger's seat.

"Did we lose him?" Dani asked anxiously, glancing in the rearview mirror for any sign of Dan.

"I don't know." Garrett replied, before looking back at Tucker, "is there a safe house or somewhere we can take you, Mr. President?"

"You know, you can call me Tucker. There's no need to be so formal." The President reminded him with a smile.

"All the same, sir, I'll stick with Mr. President." The latter replied respectfully.

Danny gave a groan and shifted a little.

"I think he's waking up." Sam exclaimed, leaning over her husband.

Danny's eyes fluttered open, and at first he seemed not to notice anything. Suddenly, his gaze snapped into focus on Sam's face right above him. Her husband moved to sit up, but Sam placed both her hands firmly on Danny's shoulder and forced him back down onto the bed.

"Oh no, you're not going anywhere until you've answered some questions!" she growled.

"Sam!? What…?!" Danny began, but he was cut off by a sharp slap by Sam across his face. Danny clutched the cheek she had slapped in pain, but was shocked by what his wife did next. Sam suddenly leaned down and captured Danny's mouth in a passionate kiss. They held the kiss for a minute, and then Sam pulled away, the anger still present in her eyes, though it had noticeably softened.

"Where the hell have you been?" she demanded.

"Chicago mainly." Danny found himself replying without really even thinking about it.

"He's back!" Tucker's shout interrupted the couple, and they both glanced back at the President who was himself looking out the back window of the RV.

Dan was flying behind them, a triumphant look on his mug as he fire a blast of ecto-energy at the RV.

"Incoming!" at this warning, Dani swerved hard to the left. So hard in fact, that the RV slammed into a car parked on the side of the street, emanating a loud "Screeeeeech!" as it grazed the parked vehicle.

"I think you hit someone." Garrett observed.

"We don't have time to leave a note!" Dani shouted back as she swerved sharply once again, this time to the right, to avoid another blast by Dan.

Danny attempted to get up from the bed in order to assist his friends, but Sam pushed him back down once again.

"Oh no you don't!" she hissed, "next question: why did you leave!?"

"I've already explained that, Sam! Not let me up, we need to…"

"I WANT A DIFFERENT EXPLANATION!"

The latter was shocked briefly by this demand. Finally, after a minute or so of shocked silence, he shook his head.

"There's no other to give." He replied bluntly.

"Well the whole 'I left to protect you' isn't good enough, Daniel Fenton! I knew what I was getting into when I signed the marriage license, I didn't _need _you to protect me!"

"What else would you have me say, Sam!?" Danny shouted incredulously.

"Something that actually justifies abandoning your wife, the mother of your_ child_!"

Meanwhile, Dani was attempting some fancy turning maneuvers in an effort to lose Dan, but to no avail.

"He's still right behind us!" Tucker reported.

"Mr. President, please, get away from the window, you could get hurt." Garrett insisted, getting up from the passenger's seat and moving to the back of the RV.

"I don't need to be babysat, Mr. Long." Tucker retorted, glancing back out the back window.

Suddenly, Dan utilized his telekinesis to push a parked car right into the path of the RV. Danielle made a hard right turn and slammed on the brakes, brining the RV to a stop just before the roadblock. This sudden stop sent Garrett and Tucker flying backward and ending up in a heap on the floor. In spite of these events however, Sam kept Danny pinned to the bed and contoured to grill him.

"Do you have any idea how many nights I cried myself to sleep over you?! How could you do this, you selfish bastard!?"

"You think it was easy for me?! It's not like I just packed a bag and left, Sam! I thought about you every night!" Danny retorted. He could have easily forced her off, but somehow he didn't have the will.

"People, I agree that this is a useful conversation, but isn't it best saved for another time?" Garrett broke into the couple's argument tentatively.

"YOU STAY OUT OF THIS!" both Sam and Danny shot at him, in what seemed like one single breath.

Garrett threw his hands up and backed away a little. "Fine, fine" he consented, glancing back out the window. To his surprise, Dan was nowhere to be seen.

"Hey, where'd he go?!" he exclaimed.

"THUMP" a loud sound on the roof of the RV drew Garrett's, Dani's, and Tucker's attentions.

Dan was on the roof, and he tore open a small chunk of it, grinning down at the vehicle's occupants through the opening.

"Here's Danny!" he announced.

Danielle reached over and pushed one of the buttons on the dash board. A large turret on top of the RV swiveled around and fired a blast of bluish energy at Dan, which struck him in the side. He was knocked off the roof with a cry of pain and landed on the street a few feet away. Garrett looked over at Dani who was grinning.

"Why didn't you do that sooner?" Garrett demanded.

"Moment didn't seem right" said ghost woman replied, the look of triumph still plastered firmly on her face.

"God I missed these days." Said Tucker, with a grin of his own.

"We're not out of the woods yet." Dani reminded them, gesturing toward Dan, who was standing up slowly.

The driver immediately slammed on the gas and the RV took off down the street yet again.

Meanwhile, the battle of the spouses raged on.

"You know Danny; I never took you as a coward." Sam growled.

"I'm not a coward! I took my responsibilities of protecting you seriously, and I realized that I couldn't protect you and be with you at the same time!"

"You could have tried!"

"Until you were dead too? No way!"

"So you'd leave me to raise a child on my own as a way of protecting me?"

"Hey, you never _told _me you were pregnant!" Danny retorted angrily.

"_I _didn't know until the doctors told me after Jazz's death! Would it have made a difference Danny?! Would you have stayed if you had known!?" Sam's anger was growing by the minute, and her grip on Danny's shoulders was becoming painfully tight.

"If you're so pissed about it all, then why did you come looking for me?"

"Because you're my husband, why wouldn't I?!" Sam screamed at him.

"EXACTLEY, YOU'RE MY WIFE! A HUSBAND LOOKS AFTER HIS WIFE, AND THAT'S WHAT I DID! IF I HAD STAYED WITH YOU, YOU WOULD HAVE DIED!"

"HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT!?"

"I JUST DO!"

"BULLSHIT, THAT"S A COPOUT AND NOTHING MORE!"

"SAM FOR GOD"S SAKE, I LEFT BECAUSE I LOVED YOU!" this last confession made Sam go quiet in surprise. Seeing this, Danny's tone became calmer as well.

"I loved you; I still love you, and the thought of you ending up on a slab in the morgue is something I can't bear." He continued, tears actually forming in his eyes. "I know I've been a shitty husband and father, but I did the best I could to protect you both."

"Well…" said Sam slowly, "now we're at least getting somewhere."

"This would be really sweet if we weren't' all about to _die_." Garrett interrupted the rather sweet moment angrily.

This brought both Fentons back into reality, and Sam finally released Danny. He stood up and moved to look out the window at his pursuing evil self.

"Dani, try hitting him with the turret again." He shouted to his clone, who nodded before pushing the button on the dashboard again.

"_Spectral entity detected, locking on." _A computerized voice announced as the turret swiveled around and locked onto the pursuing Dan.

The RV fired three blasts at the evil ghost, but he managed to dodge the first two. The third however, slammed into his right shoulder. Nonetheless, Dan continued his pursuit, grunting past the pain of the hit.

"Should I try again?" Dani inquired, but Danny shook his head.

"No, someone has to go out and face him while the van gets away. He's after Tucker, and Tucker has to be protected." He explained grimly.

"I'll do it." Garrett announced, and before anyone could protest, he had shifted into ghost mode and fazed through the roof of the RV.

"Garrett, wait!" Dani shouted after him, but it was too late. "Damn it, Sam, take the wheel."

"Where are you going?" Sam demanded as Dani handed control of the RV over to her sister-in-law.

"He's been a Halfa for less than a week, there's no way he can take on Dan alone." The latter insisted, before going ghost as well and heading out to join the fray.

"You should help them." Tucker suggested to Danny, but he shook his head.

"No, we need to get you to safety." The Halfa insisted.

"Fine, there's a safe room not far from here that the Secret Service use in case my motorcade ever comes under fire. It's about five blocks to the north."

"Alright, you give Sam directions."

Tucker nodded and sat down in the passenger's seat in order to direct Sam to the safe house. Meanwhile, Danny went back to looking out the back window of the RV.

"I hope they'll be alright." He thought anxiously.

* * *

Dan continued to fly as fast as he could after the Fenton RV. His easy dodging of the blasts fired at him had emboldened the evil ghost to close the distance between himself and his target.

"Almost got you now." He thought with a grin.

Suddenly, a figure emerged from the RV and flew straight at him. The strange entity slammed into Dan's chest, causing him to fly backward and down. They both hit the hard asphalt below with a thud.

Dan, with a vicious roar, threw his attacker off of him. He stood up and was surprised to see Garrett in ghost form struggling to his feet as well.

"Well, well, well, they sent the greenhorn to stop me? This shouldn't take long." He chastised the young Halfa with a cruel laugh.

"Not alone." Another voice announced from above them.

Dani floated above them, anger written on every inch of her face.

"Two on one? Now that's not fair." Said Dan, before launching himself up at Dani with full force. She met him and they exchanged blows.

Meanwhile, Garrett watched on, temporarily awestruck at Dani's sudden arrival.

"A little help would be appreciated." She shouted to him, causing Garrett to shake himself out of his shocked state and soar up into the air to assist his comrade.

He caught Dan right in the small of his back with a punch, temporarily distracting the evil ghost and allowing Dani to land a blow right in his face. What followed could be described as a sort of "tag team kick fest". Dani punched Dan in the gut, and before he could react, Garrett delivered a kick to his back.

"Enough!" Dan shouted suddenly, and he let loose his ghostly wail, which struck Danielle. She went flying back into one of the buildings, and Garrett flew over to her.

"Are you alright?" he asked anxiously.

"I'm fine, look out!" Dani warned him and Dan charge a ball of ecto-energy and tossed it at the couple.

Garrett grabbed Dani and pulled her down with him and they descended to street level, allowing the ball of energy to slam harmlessly into the building side. Then, it was their turn. Dani fired a blast of energy at Dan, which distracted their foe while Garrett flew up ward and uppercut the ghost. Then, Garrett ducked down while Dani flew over him and delivered a kick to Dan's face.

Dan couldn't believe it. In his universe, he was the most powerful ghost in existence. How were these two kicking his ass? This question made Dan suddenly acutely aware of a sense of exhaustion that seemed to have filled him the last few days.

"Why do I feel so…drained." He wondered.

He didn't get much time to dwell on the question however. Dani and Garrett each threw a punch at him at the same time. They connected simultaneously, causing him to collapse to the ground. Dan stood, desperately heaving in an effort to catch his breath.

"WHY AM I SO EXHAUSTED!?" it didn't make sense.

He looked up and saw Dani and Garrett hovering over him side by side. Each had their arms folded and a triumphant grin on their face.

"Run little rabbit, run." Dani called to him.

Normally, Dan Phantom ran from no one, but something wasn't right with him, and he did indeed turn and fly off back toward the White House.

"Vlad wants the Prez dead so bad, he can do it." He thought bitterly, as he flew off.

Meanwhile, Garrett turned to Danielle and smiled at her.

"Thanks for coming to help." He said gratefully.

"Hey, what are friends for?' the latter said in a quiet tone.

They stared into one another's eyes, neither fully aware that they were slowly closing the distance between their faces. Just as their lips were about to connect, Dani's cell phone went off.

She pulled back and answered the ringing device with an irritated, "what?"

"Hey, did you two take care of Dan?" Sam's voice asked.

"Yeah, he ran with his tail between his legs." Dani explained with a laugh.

"Good, Danny and I have Tucker at a safe house a few blocks to the north of your guy's position. Meet us there."

"Got it." Dani replied, before hanging up and turning to Garrett.

"They're waiting for us at a safe house." She explained.

Garrett nodded, and the two flew off in the direction of said sanctuary, leaving the sounds of sirens at the White House behind them.

* * *

_Sorry for the long wait, my shcedule has been rather tight these last few days. Some chemistry between Dani and Garrett? Oh my :). But why was Dan so weak? Guess you'll have to read on to find out. On another note, the poll readings so far are: Incursion-50%, Thou Shalt not Kill: 50%. A tie thus far! We'll see if it remains so at the end of the story (if it does, guess I'll just have to flip a coin. ^^) Review, and try not to flame me too hard, lol. Cheers. _


	24. Sanctuary?

Chapter 24

Sanctuary?

The RV pulled up next to an old, rundown building that looked like a former office building that had long since been abandoned. Of course, like a lot of other things in Sam's life, it wasn't what it seemed. She, Danny, and Tucker entered the building and found it completely empty. However, Tucker led them over to the far wall and, after a section of the wall opened to reveal a machine that scanned Tucker face, a square section of the wall slid downward to reveal a staircase.

"_Welcome Mr. President." _A robotic voice announced as the doorway opened.

The room downstairs was far different from the empty room above it. There was a large table in the center of it with at least twelve chairs around it. A large TV monitor hung on the wall at the front room and a control panel covered in button and other devices sat below it.

"It's like a panic room or something." Sam observed with wonderment as she surveyed the impressive layout.

"And we're surrounded by a solid lead wall several inches thick. The place was designed as a fallout shelter in the event of a nuclear strike on D.C." Tucker explained as he switched on the fluorescent lights overhead.

"Someone should go wait upstairs and wait for Dani and Garrett. They'll see the RV, but won't know we're downstairs." Danny commented, and before his companions could say anything more, he headed upstairs.

"Still the social type I see." Said Tucker with a shake of his head.

"I don't want to talk about it." Sam replied in a quiet voice.

Tucker shrugged and decided not to pursue the subject (he imagined that Danny's falsified death had strained him and his wife's relationship considerably.) So, instead, he went back to powering up the room, especially the large monitor so that he might be able to monitor the situation at the White House.

Sam, after watching her husband go upstairs, sat down one of the chairs with an exhausted sigh. It had been a long, stressful week for her. Meanwhile, Tucker was flipping through channels of news on the monitor, and each was saying basically the same thing.

"_After nearly an hour of vicious fighting between the mysterious entity and the Secret Service, as well as the GIW, the threat has been forced off, though is still at large. Meanwhile, Secret Service agents refused comment on the current status of the President. More on this story as it develops."_ A news anchor reported from just outside the burning capital building.

"What? Why would Vlad retreat? He was supposed all powerful by now. Why would he back down?" Sam inquired in confusion as she too listened to the report.

Tucker shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine. Maybe he decided that taking out half of the Secret Service and GIW wasn't the way to assert his dominance."

"That doesn't make sense. That's the _perfect _way to assert his power."

"I don't know why, Sam!" Tucker's anxiety caused his voice to rise sharply when he made this statement.

Sam looked at the ground for a moment and muttered an apology.

"It's fine, it's fine, I'm just really…" the latter never got to finish his sentence as the sounds of footsteps on the stairs gave him pause.

"Sam? Mr. President?" Garrett's voice announced him and Dani's arrival.

The two Halfas entered carrying two large cardboard boxes filled with equipment from the Fenton RV.

"What happened to Dan?" Sam asked as they approached.

"He won't be bothering us for a while I imagine." Dani replied sharing a grin with Garrett.

"What's in the boxes?" Tucker, being the passionate techno geek he was despite his political career, was immediately drawn to the boxes of equipment the couple was carrying.

"Danny said there was a system I could hook this stuff up to so we could track Plasmius's movements." Garrett explained.

"Yeah, right over here." The president led Garrett over to the computer interface, and Garrett, after setting down his box, took Dani's and set it down as well.

He and Tucker then started hooking up the tracker while Sam and Dani looked on.

"I'm sorry." Danielle said suddenly.

Sam looked over at her, but said nothing.

"I'm sorry for not telling you about Danny. But he made me promise. He came to me that night and said "you owe me for when I saved your from destabilizing." So I agreed. It wasn't an easy decision for any of us."

"Forget about it, it doesn't matter now. It's past." Sam replied with a sigh. She didn't have the energy to argue with Dani about things right now.

"You should go talk to him. He's still upstairs."

"Dani, I don't think…"

"Sam, we're not going to have very much time on our hands these next few days I imagine. You don't have to go and talk to him, but I suggest you do." With theses last words, Dani walked away and headed over to help Tucker and Garrett with hooking up the tracking device.

Sam watched them for a little bit, mentally wrestling with what Dani had said. Finally, she came to a decision and turned around to head upstairs.

"Okay Danny, let's talk." She thought as she climbed the stairwell.

* * *

Vlad stood on top of one of the hills overlooking the city of D.C. He had a very deep in thought as he continued to scan the city. His retreat from the White house had been a result of the decision that a bloody fight with the Secret Service and GIW would not bring about his intended design.

"I must break them in one fell swoop, not in a series of bloody struggles. That will only spawn more opposition against me. Shock and awe is the key here. Their resistance must evaporate after one demonstration" He thought.

He was still pondering over his next move when a ghost portal opened near him and Dan stepped out of it.

"You're a tough guy to keep up with, you know that?" the evil ghost pointed out in ill-concealed irritation.

"I'm sorry if I can't put my plans on hold just because you can't keep up." Vlad shot back as he continued to scan D.C. "Is President Foley dead?"

At this question, Dan fell uncomfortably silent. After a few minutes Vlad let out a frustrated sigh and turned to face his minion.

"You failed me yet again then."

"Hey, I was up against two of them and…and…" Dan tried to explain what had happened, but he hesitated at bringing up his feeling of exhaustion that was slowly enveloping him by the minute. He was not the type to tell his weakness to others.

"It is of little consequence for now. There has been a change of plans, I'm leaving D.C."

"Where are you going?"

"Not far."

"What for?"

"That's not your concern." Vlad said sharply, turning away from Dan to look one last time at the White House in the distance, still surrounded by police cars and other emergency vehicles.

"In the meantime, I have another job for. One so simple, even you won't be able to muck it up." He announced.

"What is it then, _boss_" Dan hissed, doing a bad job to hide his obvious tiring with Vlad's demands.

"We need an insurance policy in case Daniel and his team decide to interfere again. And I know just the thing." Vlad continued, an evil grin spreading across his face.

"Just the thing."

* * *

Sam slowly climbed the steps, trying to gather her thoughts. At the top, she was back in the empty room of the office building and saw Danny standing in front of a large window that looked out over the lights of the city. It was really quite beautiful.

She didn't say anything, but instead walked as silently as she cold up behind Danny. To her surprise, he suddenly spoke up.

"Mount Breckinridge, do you remember Breckinridge?" he asked in a quiet voice.

Sam thought about it for a moment. "It's where you proposed to me." She recalled.

"That's it." Danny said with a smile.

There was another silence. Sam continued to stare at Danny's back. Finally, she could take it no more.

"Goddamn it, talk to me!"

"What do you want me to say, Sammy?"

"How about 'I'm Sorry'?"

Danny let out a frustrated sigh, and stared out the window in silence for a minute or two.

"I _am_ sorry, Sam" admitted finally.

"Sorry for what, abandoning me, or abandoning your daughter?"

"That's not fair, I didn't know about Madison until last week!"

"What difference does it make? I had to give birth to her alone! I had to raise her alone! I was all alone, Danny!" Sam's temper showed a little and her voice rose slightly with these words.

"I thought I was doing the right thing." Danny whispered.

"Danny…I just want to understand _why_." Sam insisted, stepping forward and placing a hand on her husband's back.

"She died, Sam. She died because of me." Said Halfa whispered, the pain in his voice actually causing a twinge of sympathy in Sam.

"Jazz died because of me. I had to make sure that you would never meet that same fate. I did what I had to in order to insure your safety."

"Danny, that wasn't your fault."

"YES IT WAS!" this sudden outburst caused Sam to take a step back. Danny wheeled around, tears in his eyes.

"EVERYBODY IS ALWAYS SAYING, "IT'S NOT YOUR FAULT DANNY, IT'S NOT YOUR FAULT"! BUT IT IS! I WAS THE ONE SHE WAS HELPING! I COULDN'T KEEP HER ALIVE, JUST LIKE I COULDN'T KEEP ALL THOSE PEOPLE AT MY WORK ALIVE! PEOPLE HAVE DIED BECAUSE OF ME! I COULDN'T LET THAT HAPPEN TO YOU!"

When the rant was over, Danny stood breathing heavily, tears still flowing down his face, staring at the shocked face of his wife. After a moment, Sam approached him slowly and placed a hand on his face.

"Listen to me." She said calmly, "you cannot prevent death, Danny. You can _delay _it, but you cannot prevent it. Sooner or later Jazz would have died. Yes, we all would have liked it to have been later, but when your ticket's up, your ticket's up. You can focus on the people who went sooner, or you can focus on the people who went later, because you were there to help them. And that list is a huge one."

Danny looked up into her eyes as she finished, and Sam gave him a small smile.

"I don't care what other people may say, I still see a hero." She whispered.

Danny smiled as well, and leaned forward. Before either of them had really wrapped their minds what was going on, their mouths had locked and they were lost in the first real kiss either had had in years.

Sam pulled back suddenly, blushing deeply. She hadn't intended that. After all, sure she had missed him, and perhaps some part of her still loved him, but he had still left her alone for four years of bitter mourning. The feelings of resentment weren't just going to vanish over night. They couldn't.

Danny seemed disappointed at her ending the kiss, but he said nothing.

"We should…" Sam began, but she was cut off by a loud "BANG".

The front door to the building was kicked open and several men entered. Danny couldn't see their features too well do to the darkness in the building. However, he immediately moved in front of Sam and shifted into ghost mode.

Though she would never admit it, seeing Danny in his ghost form standing in front of her defensively actually made Sam feel a bit excited.

"Wait here." He whispered to her as he moved swiftly but silently toward the group of men.

As the group of intruders moved forward, Danny positioned himself behind them. As soon as he was close enough, the Halfa grabbed the man at the back of the group, placing a hand over his mouth to stifle his screams. Despite these efforts however, the leader of the group spun around with his gun drawn and pointed it at Danny and the captive intruder.

"Hold it, let him go!" the leader demanded.

"Nice to see you too Agent Baxter." Danny used the same greeting he had in the restroom in the White House upon recognizing the voice of the leader.

"Fenton?" Dash moved forward a little and his face was illuminated by some of the light from the city lights that filtered through one of the windows.

"None other." Danny said with a nod as he released the Secret Service Agent he had grabbed, "how'd you find us?"

"Protocol requires the President to wear a tracking device at all times. We followed it. I take it he's secured?" Dash inquired in an anxious voice.

"Rodger, he's downstairs with Garrett and Danielle." Danny verified, gesturing toward the stairwell across the room.

"Right, let's go people, secure the President and prep him for transport." Dash shouted to his team, and the three men headed swiftly toward the stairs.

"What? You're taking him away?" Sam asked, joining her husband and the agent.

"Vlad disappeared from the White House after a scuffle with us. I doubt he'll stay disappeared for long though. We need to get the President to a safe location." Agent Baxter explained grimly.

"Tucker says this place is a panic room designed in case of World War III. What could be safer?" the young woman retorted with a raised eyebrow.

"My job is to ensure our Commander-in-Chief's well-being, and I intend to do my job Mrs. Manson."

"This place has the equipment we need to track Vlad. You'll know if he gets close. And it's Mrs. _Fenton_."

This correction on Sam's part caused Danny to give her a surprised look. She did not notice it, however, she was too busy winning the stare down between her and Dash. Finally, with a defeated sigh, Dash nodded.

"Fine, we'll set up here. But if anything happens, I'm holding you responsible Sam."

"Fair enough, let's get back stairs." Sam said, grinning at her victory and leading the head agent down the stairs to the inner sanctum.

Danny watched them go for a few minutes. He was trying to capture the memory of his wife's lips on his own a few minutes ago. After a bit, he followed after, feeling more relieved than he had in a long, long time.

* * *

Rebecca sighed as she sat at the counter in Sam's apartment's kitchen. The young veterinarian had just gotten off work and picked up Madison from the daycare center. Now, after laying the young girl down to sleep, Rebecca was having a sip of coffee from a she had bought on the way to the center. It had been a long day.

As she was doing so, there came a knock at the door. Puzzled, she stood up and went to answer it. She was further surprised to find that, upon opening the door, Eric waited with a troubled look on his face.

"Oh, hey." He exclaimed, clearly surprised to see Rebecca.

"Hey." Said young woman greeted with similar amazement.

"Uhhh, is Sam in?" Eric inquired after a moment.

"No, she's still out of town. I was just putting her daughter to sleep."

"Oh, well, thanks." The young doctor began to walk away, but Rebecca called after him.

"Do you want me to leave her a message or something?" she asked.

"Well, I guess yeah…well…you can just tell her…" Eric was clearly struggling to find the right words.

"Do you…uhhh…do you wanna come in and write out a note or something." Rebecca offered.

"Errrr…okay." Eric agreed a little hesitantly, and followed Rebecca inside the apartment.

"Let me just get you a piece of paper." She offered, but Eric shook his head.

"No, just tell her I said that I don't think we should see each other anymore." He said, having seemingly gathered up the courage to finally say what was on his mind.

"You're…you're breaking up with her?" Rebecca inquired, scrunching her eyes a little.

"Well, yes….it's just that, she won't let me get close, and I'm tired of trying and…"

"No, it's fine. I'll let her know." Rebecca assured him with a small smile.

Eric looked immensely relieved at her words and actually managed a smile of his own. "Thanks. Rebecca, right?"

"Yeah."

"BOOM!" the noise was accompanied by a shaking sensation that both doctors felt.

"What the Hell was that?" Eric gasped.

He and Rebecca ran toward the area where the sound had come from: Madison's room.

Rebecca flung open the door and screamed at the sight before her. The entire outside wall of the apartment room had been blown open, and a large, green colored man with what looked like flame for hair floated just outside the opening. What made it all the more horrifying was that the limp body of Madison was floating next to the strange man, who was grinning triumphantly.

"Sorry about that, you can put it on my tab." The man shouted to the pair before taking off into the night, Madison in tow.

"Oh my God, MADISON!" Rebecca screamed after the retreating figure.

"I'll call the police." Eric said as he prepared to leave the room.

"No, please, don't leave me alone! What if he comes back?!" Rebecca shouted fearfully, clinging tightly to the large, comforting frame of Eric.

He instinctively wrapped an arm around her protectively and nodded. "C'mon" he urged her, as Rebecca continued to stare in shock at the destroyed wall, "we need to call somebody."

Rebecca only nodded, and both exited the room and headed back toward the kitchen and the phone.

"Oh no, what will I tell Sam." Becca thought desperately as she took one last look at the hole.

"What am I going to tell her?"

* * *

_Madison's kidnapping is probably something we all saw coming, but still a shocker huh? Can't wait to see you lots reaction to this chapter. We're nearing the end beleive it or not. Three or four more chapters to go depending on how things play out. Anyways, poll news: once again we're tied at Incursion: 50%, Thou Shalt not Kill: 50%. I've really divided the house on this one huh? Oh well, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Cheers. _


	25. All in

Chapter 25

All in

Danny sat next to Garrett at the large table in the safe room as Tucker and the Secret Service continued to monitor the Fenton Ghost Tracker satellite feed on the screen.

"The concentration of spectral energy is growing large. He's getting stronger by the minute." Dash observed, pointing toward the large orange area that covered half of Northern Virginia, all of Maryland, and even went into Pennsylvania.

"So you're saying he could be anywhere in that?" asked Dani.

"Anywhere." Said agent confirmed with a grim nod.

"What I don't get is why he withdrew. I mean, he supposedly all powerful now, why did he retreat from the White House?" Sam added.

"Because he wants to gather more power." Dani whispered, causing all in the room to turn their attention to her.

"Huh?" asked Dash.

"Look, after that whole thing in the Ghost Zone, Vlad basically acts like a magnet for Spectral energy. It follows him around in this massive cloud and he draws on it whenever he needs it, such as when he's fighting. I think he wants to add more energy to his cloud." The latter explained, gesturing toward the large area of orange on the screen.

"But how, and where would he go?"

"Now there I have no idea." Dani admitted.

"We have to think like him." Said Dash, knowledgeable in the catching of potential Presidential assassins.

"Hmmm, let's see. I'm Vlad, a seriously deranged fruit loop who would love nothing more than to mount my old nemesis and his family's heads over my mantelpiece, where would I go." Danny droned on sarcastically, drawing a giggle from Dani.

"Can you please at least _pretend_ to take this seriously? Vlad's an acute threat to us all." Agent Baxter spat at his old school mate, who frowned.

"No one's taking this more seriously than I am." He insisted.

"Of really, I think I might just be putting a bit more effort into it than you, Fenton."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah!"

"Will you two act your age?! This is neither the time, nor the place to be seeing whose is bigger." Tucker hissed at both of them, causing the pair to go silent.

"I suppose we could send out search teams." The president continued after his scolding.

"That's a lot of ground to cover though." Danielle reminded him, gesturing toward the large area of orange and red on the screen.

"True, maybe we could…" the reply was cut off by the sounds of Sam's cell phone ringing.

"Sorry." She muttered, as she stood up from the table and walked a few feet away before answering the device.

"Hello? What? Becca, slow down." Said Sam, as she listened to the frantic voice on the other end.

After a minute or so, she placed her hand over her mouth with a gasp and dropped the phone with a clutter. Danny, who had been watching her, stood up immediately and went over to her.

"Sam, what's wrong?" he asked concernedly.

"Oh my God, they've taken her!" his wife gasped, removing her hand from her mouth, "they've taken Madison. They've kidnapped her!"

Danny, after staring at the look of horror on his spouse's face for only a moment, released her and headed for the stairwell. He was up it and out of sight before the others could ask him where he was going. Instead, Dani and Garrett walked to Sam.

"What's going on?" Danielle asked with concern.

"They've taken Madison, Vlad and Dan, they took her from the apartment. Rebecca just called me about it."

"Madison?" Tucker's voice inquired.

"Their daughter." Dani explained, hugging Sam as she did so.

"On no." the President whispered as the gravity of the situation dawned on him.

"We have got to find Vlad, _now_." Sam insisted.

"We'll do our best. In the meantime, you go find Danny; I don't want the team separating right now." Tucker suggested, and Sam nodded before stepping out of Dani's grasp and heading up stairs.

"Right, there's got to be a way to shrink down the search zone." The Commander-in-Chief turned to face the monitor once more.

"I'm on it." Garrett volunteered as he approached the consul and began to interface with it.

"I hope he can." Dani thought as she watched him work.

"That stakes are growing higher."

* * *

Danny stepped outside the office building and was about to make his way down the street when a voice called out to him.

"Where are you going Danny?" it asked.

He turned, expecting to see Sam, but was surprised by the familiar sight of Clockwork.

"Vlad's got my daughter. I gotta go stop that psycho."

"And just where are you going to find him?"

Danny opened him mouth to reply, but nothing came out when he realized he had no answer. With a defeated sigh, the young man slumped against the building and slid to the ground.

"I gotta find him, Clockwork. I didn't even know I had a daughter till last week, I can't lose her just when I found out she even existed." He whispered.

"Well, you shall be happy to know that I bring some good news." Clockwork explained, moving to stand in front of the sitting Danny.

Despite his current situation, the Halfa actually grinned. "That'd be a first." He observed.

"Indeed. I have convinced the Overseers not to initiate Protocol Purge, for the time being anyhow." The Master of Time reported.

"Lovely, the world isn't going to go all to Hell straight away." Danny scoffed with a roll of his eyes.

"I've bought you some time, yes. But this thing needs to be ended, and soon."

"How? Like you said, I don't even know where he is."

"He's headed off to the north; I know no more than that." Clockwork continued, "that may shorten your search area at least."

Danny looked up at the ghost in surprise and gave a small smile. "It just might, thanks Clockwork." He said, standing up and preparing to head back downstairs to report the information to the others.

"You plan to fight him then?" the question made Danny freeze and look at Clockwork in puzzlement.

"Of course" he confirmed slowly, still looking at the elder ghost in surprise, "why wouldn't I?"

The look in Clockworks eyes made a cold shiver run up the Halfa's spine. There was a sort of mixture of sadness and fear, one that Danny never imagined he would ever see in the Master's face.

"Am I going to die fighting him?" he finally found the courage to ask.

"I don't know." Clockwork admitted solemnly.

"What do you mean, you're the Master of Time. You know what's going to happen, don't you?"

Clockwork shook his head.

"You think of time as a street going one way, but this is not so. Time is more like a tree with many possible branches that may shoot out from a main stream of events. And while I can see every branch that may or may not come to pass, even I do not know which branch time will take. It often depends on the choices of the individuals involved in the event. With you and Vlad, there are some braches that end with you defeating him and surviving, some that end with you both dying, and some with you failing and perishing and him taking over the world. But I cannot know which will come to pass; I suppose that frightens me a little."

"So there's a lot of ending for this little confrontation between me and Vlad then?"

"Yes, and I must admit, many of them do not end happily for you."

"But some do?"

"Yes, of course."

A heavy silence hung over the pair as Danny seemed to contemplate what to say next.

"Well, I suppose I better go tell the group my info, thanks for the help Clock, you take care of yourself." He said with a final nod before heading back inside the building.

"May time show mercy to you, Daniel Fenton. I pray it does anyway." Clockwork thought as he watched Danny leave, "I pray it has mercy on all of us."

Back inside, Danny ran into Sam who was crying slightly. As soon as he saw this, Danny wrapped her up in a tight hug, ne which she accepted, albeit a little awkwardly, but gratefully nonetheless.

"No more running, no more hiding." He whispered as they embraced, "I'll find her Sammy. I promise."

His wife said nothing, only hugged him tighter. They held one another for a few minutes, only Sam's broken breathing through her sobs could be heard. At last, even those stopped and Danny released her, stepping back and smiling bravely at her. The couple then headed downstairs where the rest of the group was still looking over the monitor.

"I know where Vlad's gone." Danny announced aloud, causing everyone, including Sam, to look at him in surprise.

Without a word, the Halfa stepped up to the computer monitor and began typing away on it. He worked soundlessly for several minutes until curiosity got the best of Dani and she spoke up.

"What are you doing?" she voiced aloud the question on everybody's mind.

"Scanning for the highest concentration of spectral energy north of D.C." Danny explained, still working away on the consol, "that's where Vlad will go."

"How do _you_ know he went north?" asked one of the Secret Service agents incredulously.

"Let's just say an old friend told me."

There was a series of beeps from the computer, which were then followed by a steady beeping. A square box highlighted a small town to the north of D.C. and a text appeared stating the name of the town. As soon as Danny read the name he nodded.

"That's the place." He stated confidently before turning and heading back toward the stairs.

"Get the GIW on the horn, tell them to set up a perimeter around the town, Vlad doesn't leave that place alive." Dash ordered one of his men after he too read the name.

Sam, Dani, and Garrett all followed Danny upstairs to the Fenton RV, while Tucker looked back at the screen. The text next to the town read:

_Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. _

* * *

Vlad stood on top of Cemetery ridge, a large wooded chain of hills that overlooked the small town. He could literally feel the spectral energy pulsating in the air around him.

"50,000 men died on this spot over 150 years ago. But their energy remains, and now it shall be my stepping stone to God-hood." Vlad observed with a sneer.

"Spare us the history lesson; I want to get this over with." Dan, who was standing behind him, said sarcastically.

The latter turned and grinned at the sight of his ally.

"Ahhh, you're back, I assume your mission was a success."

Dan stepped to one side, revealing a terrified Madison who was still hovering in a bubble of psychokinetic energy.

"Yeah, I got her."

"Excellent." The mad man approached his captive with a malicious grin. The young toddler tried to shrink back from the evil looking man, but could not move. Instead, the young girl settled for a terrified whimper as Vlad stopped just in front of her and leaned in close.

"Please, don't hurt me." She begged feebly.

At this, Vlad gave a sharp chuckle. "Heaven forbid child, though I can't say the same for your father should he attempt to interfere again."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, can we just do what we need to and get the hell out of here please!" Dan interrupted with ill concealed irritation.

Vlad gave a small sigh. "Excuse me dear, I'll be just a moment." He said, before striding over to Dan and grabbing a hold of the ghost's collar.

"Have you been noticing a feeling of exhaustion in yourself Dan?" he growled, and the evil ghost felt said feeling suddenly intensify.

"What are you…?" Dan began, but a sudden pain that seemed to rack his whole body hit him, and a cry of pain was all that issued forth.

"You see Dan; I can absorb the spectral energy not only from the air, but from other ghosts as well. It feeds me, making me stronger, at your expense of course."

Dan was starting to shrivel up like a raisin. He crumpled to the ground, feebly attempting to pull Vlad's hand off of him, but to no avail.

"And, the best part is, I don't have to hear your incessant wining any longer!"

Dan began to literally disintegrate before Vlad's eyes. Indeed, it was as though the ghost was made of sand as his physical being came apart and scattered to the wind, his screams of pain echoing throughout the area.

Dan Phantom was no more.

Madison watched on in utter terror at the whole scene. When it was over, Vlad took a deep breath of satisfaction before turning back to her yet again with another evil smile.

"Well then my dear, I think it's time we invited our guests." He stated, before pulling out a cell phone and dialing a number.

The pone began to ring.

* * *

The Fenton RV raced down the highway out of D.C. and toward Gettysburg. Fortunately, the small town was only a two hour drive away. As they were rushing along, Dani behind the wheel, Sam's cell phone began to ring yet again.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Yes is Mr. Fenton available?" asked a familiar voice, causing Sam to cringe.

"It's for you." She whispered, holding the phone out to her husband who sat at the table nearby.

"Hello?" inquired Danny upon taking the phone.

"Hello, Daniel." Vlad's voice sounded from the other end of the line, "I just wanted to let you know that your daughter is completely unharmed."

"Where is she?" growled Danny.

"She's safe with Uncle Vlad for the time being. I think it's time we had a little get together wouldn't you say? I'm on Cemetery Ridge just outside Gettysburg Pennsylvania. You being the smart young man you are, I assume you're already on your way here, so I'd expect you within two hours." Vlad continued in a sickeningly nonchalant tone.

"If you so much as lay a finger on her, I swear Plasmius, I'll…"

"Please Daniel, save your cheap threats for when we're speaking face-to-face. I might actually feel a brief twinge of fear."

"We'll be there, you can count on it."

"Good, oh and Daniel" Vlad stopped Danny just as he was about to hang up, "just you and Mrs. Fenton if you please. I want to keep this thing family only, you understand. I'd hate for something to happen to poor Madison as a result of your lack of following instruction."

After this, the fruit loop began to cackle with amusement, and Danny hung up the phone before throwing it against the wall in frustration.

"What's wrong?" asked Sam immediately.

"He's got Madison all right, and he wants you and me to meet him alone outside Gettysburg." The latter explained with a frustrated sigh.

"Well then, I suppose we'll just have to meet him."

"You both know it's a trap" Garrett cautioned them.

"That may be so, but we still have to try all we can to rescue her." Sam insisted, moving to sit next to Danny.

Danny was busy staring at the wooden surface of the table in silence, deep in thought. For a moment, he had a twinge of guilt about not being present to defend his daughter hewn she needed him. However, for the first time in a long while, he shook of the guilt defiantly. His daughter didn't need his guilt right now, nor did the world. Right now, both his daughter and the world needed a hero.

Right now, they needed Danny Phantom.

He stood up resolutely and turned to Tucker and Dash who were both riding with them as well.

"We've got to stop Vlad." He said firmly. "And I've got a plan that just might work."

As he did so, Danny remembered Clockwork's words: _"__All throughout history powerful men have been brought down by their vanity."_

"Vlad's made his mistake." he thought to himself,

"Now, we exploit it."

* * *

_An appropriate chapter name neh? The stakes grow higher still, and we approach the final climax. Exciting isn't it? :) As for the poll the situation remains the same: Incursion-50%, Thou Shalt not Kill-50%. Please review and comment, it's been an exciting chapter. Cheers. _


	26. To the death

Chapter 26

To the death

Danny and Sam climbed out of the Fenton RV parked off to the side of the road. Cemetery ridge was directly ahead of them, and Danny could see the lights of the town of Gettysburg a few miles away in the waning sunlight of the evening.

"Wait for my signal." Danny said to Dash, who nodded before shutting the RV door.

Then, the Fentons began making their way up the side of the ridge through the thick trees.

"Did he say where he was on the ridge?" Sam inquired as they did so.

"He wants us to find him, he'll give us some sort of signal." The latter assured her.

No sooner had Danny spoken these words when a blast of green energy erupted from a clearing near the top of the ridge. Danny looked back at Sam with an "I told you so" look, and started hiking toward the spot. Sam followed close behind. The late evening chill swept over them, though Danny, being in ghost form, could barely feel it. Sam on the other hand, could feel it acutely. This caused the young woman to shiver. Her husband noticed this and moved back a little so he could wrap his arms around her and pull her close.

Sam smiled in amusement at his attempt to warm her.

"You realize you can't warm me up when your own body temp is lower than usual." She pointed out to him.

Danny grinned sheepishly at this realization and released Sam before moving a few feet away.

"Thank you though." Said black-haired woman thanked him for the effort nonetheless.

They continued on in silence for a few minutes as the pair pushed through the heavy shrubbery and other vegetation. Eventually, Sam found the courage to ask something that had been nagging at her for that last few hours.

"Danny" she grabbed his arm and pulled him to a stop, causing the Halfa to turn and look at he in surprise, "if we survive all of this and get Madison back….will you go back into hiding?"

Her husband said nothing, only stared into her violet eyes in silence. In his own green glowing eyes Sam could see a mixture of fear and uncertainty. It was something she had only ever seen once before in those eyes. That day they had kissed just before Danny had gone out to stop the Disastroid. It had always been hard for Sam to picture fear in Danny. He was a bold hero at times when he needed to be, fear was something he had always overcome, no matter the situation. It was simply something she had never associated with him.

"What are you so afraid of?" The question came out of Sam's mouth as a whisper, but Danny still heard it.

Danny let out a deep sigh; a sigh that seemed to hold all of his frustration, his guilt, and his anxiety that he had been carrying around with him for the last four years of his life.

"I'm afraid, because I failed as a husband and a father, and because if I die, I'm leaving you with nothing." He admitted.

Sam reached up and put a hand on his cheek lovingly. She still loved him. Maybe it wasn't as strong as it had been, but it was still there. The love she had bore for him since high school survived somewhere in her and, at that moment, she felt it once more.

"That's not true. You'll leave me some of the best memories of my life, and a daughter who has your eyes." She reassured with a small smile, "and while you may have not been the best husband or father these last four years, you've never failed as a hero."

Danny smiled back at her, and the two actually began to lean in for a terrified voice broke through the chilled evening air.

"Mommy, help!" the voice of Madison sounded from a few feet away.

"Madison!?" Sam shouted, running toward the sound.

"Sam, wait!" Danny shouted, running after her.

The pair ran into the clearing and found Madison standing in the middle of it. Despite Danny's protests, Sam ran straight for her daughter and swept her up in a tight hug.

"Thank God you're okay, he didn't hurt you did he?" Sam gasped as she embraced the toddler tightly.

"Don't worry Mrs. Fenton, she's in fine health." The voice announced the arrival of Vlad, who stepped out from the shadows of a clump of nearby trees, an evil grin firmly plastered on his face.

He was already in ghost form, like Danny. However, unlike Danny, his entire being seemed to glow with energy, not just his eyes.

Danny himself immediately moved between his family and Vlad defensively. Vlad took note of this and his smile widened.

"Developing that father instinct, Daniel? How sweet." He cackled.

"It ends here, Plasmius." Was all the younger man hissed in reply.

"Hahaha, is that so? I think you've underestimate me, Daniel." Vlad continued, rising into the air as he did so.

"Let me explain something to you." He announced after stopping a few feet above the ground and hovering, "I spent twenty years adrift in space, alone and forgotten, being hit by asteroids, and losing any sense of time I had. Indeed, most days I felt less than human. Now, my goal has been to become _more_ than human, and once I've taken care of you and absorbed the energy I need, that goal will be realized."

With these words, Vlad used his new telekinetic powers he had absorbed from Dan to lift a massive boulder out of the ground nearby and bring it hovering next to him.

"It'll take more than that to stop me!" Danny shouted, floating up so he was level with Vlad and the rock.

"Well, then I suppose I had better hit you where it hurts the most with it!" Vlad shouted back before flinging the humongous rock, not at Danny, but at the crouching Sam and Madison.

Sam screamed and had just enough time to grab Madison and shield the young girl before the rock landed on top of them with a sickening "thud".

To Danny, it all seemed to happen in slow motion: the rock flying through the air, the unyielding chunk of granite slamming into his wife and Daughter and crushing them, and the thud that accompanied it.

"NOOOOOO!" he screamed at the top of the lungs, shooting toward the rock and landing beside it. He might have tried to lift it, but could not bring himself to do so, knowing what he would find beneath it.

"Pity that, but I always preferred family reunions to be short." Vlad called down to him scathingly.

At that moment, Danny looked up from the rock. A fire burned in his eyes, fed by a wave of rage that swept the young Halfa's entire being. With a roar he flung himself at Vlad and collided with the grinning villain.

"YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Danny screamed at the top of his lungs.

The force of Danny's tackle caused them both to slam into the ground. With unyielding fury, the Halfa slammed his fist again and again into Vlad's face. Said elder Halfa was so surprised by this sudden offensive that at first he did nothing. However, after several blows were landed upon him, Vlad called upon the reserve of energy around him and created a sort of force burst of energy that flung Danny off of him.

Danny flew back and hit the ground before rolling a few feet and running into a tree, forcing him to a stop. With a groan of pain, he looked up from the ground at Vlad who now stood over him. The evil Halfa wiped some of the ectoplasm form a wound on his lip while looking down at his rival.

"You would fight to the death?" Vlad asked with raised eyebrows, correctly reading the look in Danny's eyes.

"It makes no difference now!" Danny screamed back, getting to his feet.

This time Vlad made the first move, charging a small ball of ecto-energy and throwing it at Danny. The latter easily dodged this, so Vlad threw several more in rapid succession. Phantom performed a series of acrobatic flips, cartwheels, and rolls as he dodged the barrage of projectiles. When the attack was finished, Danny went on the offensive. He unleashed his own ghostly wail on Vlad, who was struck with it full force (he was not one to dodge attacks on him often; a sign of his deep seated arrogance). However, it only caused him to stumble slightly. Nonetheless, this was all Danny needed. He immediately began firing his own blasts of ecto-energy at his foe. This time Vlad made an effort to dodge the blasts. He was successful for the most part, and he counterattacked by using his psycho kinesis to lift several trees out of the ground by their roots and fling them at Danny.

Danny went intangible, allowing the trees to pass right through him, but the pause was enough for Vlad to move in and begin his own assault on Danny. First he kicked the young man in the lower gut, causing him to flinch inward and grab his stomach. When this was done, the evil villain then punched Phantom across the chin. This last blow caused Danny to stumble backward into a tree. With the young man pinned against the tree, Vlad mounted his own barrage of punches to Danny's face. By the time he was done, one of Danny's eyes was swollen and ectoplasm leaked from a cut on his lip. Other bruises also adorned his face.

Vlad stepped back, allowing Danny to sink to his knees in temporary disorientation.

"You know something, Daniel. I used to think of you as a son. I couldn't wait for the day you joined me and we worked together as an unstoppable force. Now, since that first day in space, I've looked forward to the moment I extinguished your life form those pitiful eyes of yours." The evermore powerful Halfa explained with a gleam of pleasure in his eyes as he stood over his rasping prey.

"UGH!" to Vlad's surprise, Danny grabbed up a tree branch that was lying nearby and stabbed the extremely sharp end of it into Vlad's shoulder.

He stumbled backward, staring at the branch sticking out of him. Danny stood and wiped the ectoplasm from the side of his mouth. Vlad reached up and pulled the branch out of his shoulder with a grunt of pain before looking back up at Danny with anger on every inch of his face. Before Danny could react, Vlad flew at him and hit the young man upside the head with the branch. Danny was off his feet and flat on his back in an instant, and Vlad soon stood over him, branch in hand and poised to stab it into Danny's stomach.

"That wasn't very nice." Plasmius hissed.

"Danny!" the shout drew both men's attentions, and both were equally stunned to see Sam standing a few feet away with a horrified look on her face.

"Impossible." Vlad whispered.

Taking advantage of his adversary's momentary distraction, Danny grabbed the branch and pulled it out of Plasmius's grip before throwing it off to the side and rolling a few inches away and hopping to his feet.

"NOW!" Danny shouted, pulling a flare gun from the belt behind his back and firing it into the air.

The bright red flare flew into the sky, and was present for no more than a minute when an almighty hum sounded all around the ridge. Vlad could only watch in horror as a sort of bubbled formed around the entirety of Cemetery ridge. The evil Halfa began to feel weak nad drained and collapsed to his knees.

"You see, Plasmius, by forming a net blocking the spectral energy, we've cut you off from your power supply. Since I'm just a regular Halfa and not an energy magnet like you, I'm hardly affected. You on the other hand…" Danny explained, gesturing toward the bubble of energy and then to Vlad who was still kneeling on the ground, "guess you should have thought of that before choosing an easily surrounded ridge to meet on. Dash's men were very quick in getting everything set up."

Meanwhile, Sam ran over to Danny and gave him a hug, Madison in tow.

"I thought you were both dead." Said Danny as he hugged her back.

"So did I." Sam admitted.

"How?"

"It was Madison, she…" his wife began to explain, but a shout of frustration from Vlad drew their attentions toward him.

"You won't stop me Daniel. NO ONE CAN!" he screamed at the top of his lungs before standing up with his arms outstretched. There was a massive explosion of light from the evil Halfa, and the entire area seemed to light up as well.

This light began to funnel into Vlad who continued to scream in pure rage. Seeing this, and seeing the bubble around the ridge begin to flicker, Danny grabbed Sam and Madison and took off into the air. He flew his family back toward the Fenton RV which was parked at the bottom of the ridge.

After dropping off the two, Danny turned his attention to Garrett, who was monitoring the shield on a computer inside the RV.

"Bobby, what's happening?" the Halfa demanded.

"Vlad's funneling all of the energy from the cloud into himself." Garrett explained as he type frantically on the computer.

"Can't the shield stop it?"

"It's trying, but the amount is overwhelming, I don't think…"

Almost on cue, one of the generators exploded in a flash of light visible to the group. This was soon followed by others, and the shield soon flickered out completely.

"Oh no." Garrett whispered as he looked away from the computer and back up the ridge.

Vlad was now levitating in the air, the light still funneling into him. His echoing laughter could be heard throughout the hills as he continued to gain strength.

"SAY GOODBYE TO VLAD MASTERS THE HUMAN. SAY HELLO TO PLASMIUS, THE _GOD_!" Plasmius's voice boomed.

This isn't good; his energy reading is increasing tenfold." Garrett reported, returning to the computer monitoring Vlad's energy levels.

"What can we do?" Danny asked.

"I don't know." The latter admitted solemnly as he continued to work on the computers.

"Mr. President, I suggest you evacuate." Dash suggested to Tucker, who was standing with the group.

"No" Tucker replied with a shake of his head, "He'll come after me either way. Here's as good a spot to die as any."

After a few minutes, the light seemed to stop flowing into Vlad, and he simply remained suspended in the clearing, still laughing maniacally.

"He's stopped absorbing energy." Garrett exclaimed.

"What, why?" Sam asked in surprise.

"Look, Vlad may be all powerful now, but he's still only human, his body can only hold so much spectral energy without overloading."

This report made the wheels in Danny's head begin to run again, and after a minute or two, he had a plan formed.

"What if he was force fed the energy?" he asked suddenly.

Everyone turned to him in surprise at this.

"What?" inquired Garrett.

"What if someone forced him to absorb more spectral energy, what would happen?" Danny repeated firmly.

"Well, in theory, Vlad would overload and most likely explode, for lack of a better term." Garrett explained and, after reading the look in Danny's eyes, shook his head fervently.

"No way. Danny, even if you could get close enough to force feed him the energy, the chances of you surviving resulting explosion are almost nonexistent. You'll be killed." He insisted.

"Being a hero is about sacrifice." Danny repeated the advice given to him by Clockwork what felt like years ago, "it's what makes a hero, a hero." And with that, he turned and began walking toward the clearing where Vlad was.

"Danny, wait!" Sam called after him frantically and running after him.

Her husband stopped, and turned to her. They stood there for a moment, and Danny took her hand in his.

"You once told me that you slept well at night knowing that someone was out there doing the right thing." He whispered to her, "Well this is the right thing, Sammy. Tell Madison I love her, and take good care of her."

And with that, he let go of her hand and gave her one last kiss in the cheek before taking off into the air and speeding towards Vlad.

"Danny, Danny!" Sam shrieked after him, but Dani grabbed the young woman and held her back.

"He's made his choice, Sam. Let him go." She insisted, dragging the struggling Sam back toward the RV.

"NO, NO, NO!" the black haired mother and wife shouted as she watched her husband fly off toward his target…

…and his fate.

* * *

_The story nears its conclusion. It's been a long road eh? Anyways, I'll shut up now since I want to here you lots' opinions. Please remember to review. Also, the poll currently still stand at 50-50, so if you haven't voted yet, I strongly encourage you to do so soon. Cheers. _


	27. A hero's atonement

Chapter 27

A hero's atonement

Danny flew as close as he could until the energy around him became so powerful that he had to land. It felt like the sun was shining directly on him with an intense light that he could barely see through. Despite this, he was still able to make out the form of Vlad hovering in the orb of light, still laughing his head off.

"Hey, Plasmius!" he shouted upon entering the clearing.

The evil villain spun to face his rival with a scowl.

"You didn't think god-hood was gonna be free did you?" Danny announced, going into a fighting stance.

"YOU DARE CHALLENGE ME!?"

"Someone has to."

"VERY WELL!"

A beam of energy, so bright that it hurt Danny's eyes, was fired at him. Nonetheless, he had enough sense to dive off to one side. The beam itself cut a deep ditch through the ground as it blazed by. This beam was followed by others, all of which sliced through trees like butter and the same with the ground. Danny found himself barrel rolling like a tire to avoid being hit. By the time the beams had ceased, he was extremely dizzy and disorientated.

Vlad fired yet another hyper-beam at him. While the beam itself did not hit Danny, the heat radiating from it was so intense that when the column of energy grazed by him only inches from his face, Danny actually took a step back and stumbled before falling to the ground, still dizzy from his maneuvers. He landed against a tree and tried to use it to regain his footing. Vlad hovered closer, laughing at the sight.

"THE GREAT DANNY PHANTOM NOT EVEN ABLE TO STAND UP STRAIGHT AGAINST THE GOD, PLASMIUS!"

Upon hearing this, Danny, a feeling of anger filling him, stood up tall before unleashing his ghostly wail at Vlad. The waves of energy hit Vlad, and he flinched a little bit, but beyond that, they seemed to have no effect. With a roar, Plasmius threw his arms skyward. More beams of energy, this time from above, rained down on the area, burning through everything in their path. Danny went intangible and took off into the air.

"You just gotta reach him." He though desperately as he flew right at his target.

However, Vlad, whether or not he knew Danny's intentions, flew backward in an effort to keep his distance from Danny. As he did so, the evil god fired bolts of energy from his hands. Fortunately, these were smaller than the beams and were easier to dodge. Danny decided to try a new strategy and, when one of the bolts was headed straight for him, he puckered his lips and blew a blast of ice breath at it. The bolt froze into a chunk of ice and fell to the ground, glowing slightly.

"Okay, now we're getting somewhere." He thought with a grin.

"DAMN YOU DANNY PHANTOM!" Plasmius screamed as he used his telekinesis, now enhanced by his hyper-charged state, to lift up huge chunks of earth, trees and all still in them.

It was like gravity had been switched off on certain parts of the hill as chunks of earth floated into the air. Several of these chunks moved between Danny and Vlad. Utilizing his increased agility, Danny began leaping from chunk to chunk. Seeing this, Vlad began hurling smaller chunks of earth at him as he did so. One of the larger chunks came right at Danny as he leaped to another section. However, he passed through it easily by going intangible briefly. Danny was nearing his target, and he made a massive leap at Vlad from the last chunk. However, Vlad moved to one side, allowing the Halfa to fly right past him.

In an effort to correct this over shot on his part, Danny used his flying ability to halt himself and do a 180 back toward Plasmius. The hyper-powered Halfa saw this coming and met Danny with his fist. Now, Danny had taken hits from Vlad before, several hundred in fact, but this was different. Vlad's fist was pulsating with built of spectral energy, and when it made contact with Danny's gut, it felt as though a hot poker had been jabbed into his gut. This caused him to fall to the ground, gripping his lower stomach as the burning sensation remained for several long seconds. Taking advantage of Phantom's incapacitation, Vlad landed on the ground, the energy surrounding him actually singing the ground slightly where he walked.

"WELL THEN DANIEL, THIS IS IT! YOU CAN NEVER KNOW HOW MUCH I'VE LOOKED FORWARD TO THIS MOMENT!" the villain monologued as he approached the still hunched over Danny, "THE MOMENT WHEN YOU LEARN THE TRUE PRICE OF BETRAYAL!"

"Come on, closer, closer…" Danny whispered as his target neared him.

"AND ONCE I'M DONE WITH YOU, I'LL KILL THAT WIFE OF YOUR'S AND THE CHILD. THEN WHEN I'M DONE WITH THEM, I'LL MOVE ONTO THAT MORON JACK AND THAT BITCH MADDIE. THEY'LL ALL PAY! ALL OF THEM!" Vlad was still roaring on as he reached Danny and grabbed him by the collar of his jumpsuit and pulled him up.

Vlad slowly rose upward, dragging Danny along with him. Eventually, they stopped at a hovering height of about twenty-five feet from the ground.

"ANY LAST WORDS DANIEL FENTON!?"

Danny, who had until now been looking downward with his hands hanging limply by his sides, now looked up at Vlad and, to the evil Halfa's surprise, actually smiled.

"I'm going ghost!" he shouted before grabbing both of Vlad's shoulder tightly.

"WHAT ARE YOU…!?"

"You wanted revenge?! You wanted power?! Take it! TAKE IT!" Danny screamed as he began to force his spectral energy into Vlad.

"NO! NO!" Plasmius shrieked as the light around him began to grow brighter and brighter.

The light around them began to swirl in a massive whirlwind and the wind began to blow hard as the light increased in intensity.

"YOU'LL DIE WITH ME DANIEL!"

"If it means my family no longer has to look over their shoulders for fear of you, that's a price I'm willing to PAY!"

The light was so intense now; Danny could no longer look directly at Vlad. Screams of pain and anguish were now erupting from the villain's mouth, and he began to convulse. Despite this, Danny kept his grip on Plasmius's shoulders. As more of his energy drained into Vlad, Danny noticed that he was beginning to shift back to human mode. After a few more minutes, he had changed back to a young thirty year old man with black hair in a pair of black slacks and a checkered shirt (the outfit he had worn to the State dinner).

Plasmius was becoming more and more unstable by the minute. Full body convulsions were constant now, and his body shined an almost solid white like a power pole that had been struck by lightning.

"AAAAAAAAAAGH!" with a final anguished cry, Vlad let forth a burst of energy that finally loosened Danny's grip on the former god's shoulders.

The young man was sent fling away and downward toward the ground. Fortunately for Danny, he hit a tree and fell down the rest of the way on its branches, thus ensuring his fall was not a lethal one. With a cry of pain, he hit the ground and lay there briefly, trying to catch his breath after the wind had been knocked out of him.

Above him, Vlad had gone into a full blown seizure.

"NO, NO, THIS IS NOT HOW THEY SAID IT WOULD HAPPEN! THEY PROMISED ME!" Vlad Masters screamed his last words.

Then, with an inhuman scream that made Danny's blood curdle, Vlad disintegrated before the young Halfa's eyes. Indeed, his entire body seemed to come apart at the seams and scatter to the wind as though he was not but sand. The light left over was suddenly and swiftly sucked into a massive ball of energy. After a few seconds of silence, this energy ball exploded, sending a wave of light across the country side.

When this wave passed over Danny, he felt like some piece of him had been returned, and he looked to see the familiar ring once again travel over his body, transforming him back into Danny Phantom. However, he didn't get to acknowledge much more than that, as a wave of lightheadedness suddenly swept over him, and blackness closed in on his vision from all sides.

"So this is what it feels like to die?" was his last conscious thought, then…

…nothing.

* * *

When Danny opened his eyes, he found that his strength had somehow returned, and he got unsteadily to his feet. However, one glance around the area told him something was wrong. Wherever he was, the place was solid white. He could see nothing but whiteness in every direction; it was like being trapped in a sheet of paper. After he had gotten to his feet, and look every which way to try and locate some sort of land mark or, truth be told, anything period, Danny began walking in one direction.

"Hello?" he called, "anybody?"

"Hello Danny." A familiar voice sounded behind him, and Danny spun to see his sister standing behind him dressed in a white long sleeved shirt and a pair of white sweat pants and white shoes.

She smiled at him. "It's been a while hasn't it."

"Jazz? But you…you're…"

"Yes."

"So…I'm…?"

"No, not yet anyway."

"What…?"

"Come with me." Jazz gestured for her brother to follow her, and he did so.

"How's my son and daughter?" she asked as they walked along.

"I…well…I haven't really…visited them…lately." Danny admitted.

Jazz tsk tsked at this. "You really should you know."

"Well, I haven't really been in a position to pay visits." Danny retorted defensively.

"I know, you've been too busy hiding and drinking."

At these words, Danny stopped walking, and his sister turned to face him. Tears were forming in her younger brother's face, and he collapsed to his knees before she could say more.

"I'm sorry…I'm so sorry." He moaned through tears as he covered his face.

Jazz knelt down and lifted her brother to his feet. She looked into his eyes with a smile and gave him a small hug.

"I don't blame you." She assured him quietly, "I made my own decisions, and now I'm here to save you from yours. Go back to Sam. She needs you, her and Madison. Be the parent I will never get to be. And most importantly, stop feeling guilty. If any blame does fall on you, then you've surely atoned for it now."

Danny said nothing at first; he only hugged his sister tighter and sniffed a little.

"I miss you." He whispered finally.

"I know. I miss you too." Jazz replied, pulling him into yet another hug. This one was briefer however, and she pulled away before giving him one last smile.

"Tell mom I love her." She said, then, without warning, she gave Danny a push and he fell backward.

He expected to hit the surface, but instead he kept falling. Looking back he saw a massive plane of black that swallowed him as he continued to fall.

Then, with a sharp cry, he eyes flew open and he sat up once again, but this time the branch that stuck out in front of his face told him he was back on Cemetery Ridge. At first he just sat in astonishment, trying to decide if what he had just experienced with Jazz was all a dream. However, his thoughts were interrupted by a voice from a few feet away.

"Danny?! Danny?!" it called frantically.

Despite feeling rather weak, Danny stood up and began to run toward the voice. This was made difficult by a sharp pain in his ankle which he was certain was twisted or possibly broken by the way it hurt every time he put pressure on it. Ignoring the pain, he continued to move as quickly as possible toward the voice.

"Sammy?!" he shouted aloud as he burst into the clearing.

* * *

Sam had watched the whole event unfold. More than once it had taken the combined strength of Garrett and Dani holding her down from running up the ridge to help her husband. However, when Vlad and Danny had come into view, hovering above the clearing and the inhuman cries from the duo had sounded, she had been unable to do anything more than watch on in shock at the sight.

However, after Vlad's disintegration, Sam had regained her senses before the others, and broken free of Garrett and Dani.

"Come on! We have to…!" she was cut off by the exploding energy ball and resulting energy wave which knocked everyone hanging around the RV off their feet.

After the wave had passed and all had gone deathly silent, Sam had struggled to her feet and continued running toward the ridge.

"Danny!" she shouted repeatedly as she did so.

Danielle regained her composure next and ran after Sam, and they were both followed by Garrett. Tucker keen on joining as well, but Dash dissuaded him from doing so.

"Sir, I respect that you want to help your friend, but it is too dangerous. You are The President of the United States." The head agent had reminded the Commander-in-Chief who had nodded n solemn agreement.

So, only Sam, Garrett, and Dani headed up to the ridge to investigate the aftermath of the great struggle.

"Danny?!" Sam was shouting and wandering around the shrubbery as Dani and her companion approached.

"We should spread out; we'll cover more ground that way." Garrett suggested, and they all nodded in agreement.

They all headed off in their separate directions, each calling Danny's name. No one shouted it louder than Sam, was nearly in tears.

"I can't lose him again! Not again!" she thought as she desperately searched the shrubbery.

At last, she reached the clearing where Vlad had been holding Madison earlier. Now, of course, it was empty, but the grass was scorched in several areas, and a massive ditch ran down the middle of it as though some gigantic dozer had plowed through it.

"DANNY!?" Sam voice was staring to grow hoarse from her constant calls, and she gave this last shout everything she had.

"Sammy?!" the voice was like music to her ears, and the young woman spun to see her husband standing on the far side of the clearing.

They moved toward each other, Danny with a pronounced limp, until they were locked in one another's arms. Danny had never hugged Sam so tightly, and vice versa.

"God, I thought you were dead." Sam whispered through tears that had begun to fall from her eyes.

"Not this time." Danny assured her, pulling away slightly and gazing into her violet eyes.

They kissed then, a deep, passionate kiss that held all of love each had born for the other in their four years of separation. The kiss brought out mixed feelings in Sam, but for now, she ignored them and just ravished her husband's lips against hers.

"Danny?" Garrett arrived in the clearing, but took a step back at the sight of the couple making out, "oops, sorry." He muttered.

Sam actually laughed after pulling out of the kiss. "

"Just give me a hand will you, he's hurt." She suggested.

"Oh, yeah, totally." Garret replied, moving to the other side and Danny and allowing the injured Halfa to lean on his shoulder.

They then helped Danny lip out of the clearing and down toward the RV. They ran into Dani, and went on ahead to request that Dash summon an ambulance, despite Danny's protests. However, a whole another circus awaited them as they approached the Fenton RV where Dash and Tucker waited. Several different news channel vans had parked around or near the RV, and a crowd of reporters with their camera's flashing and questions flying.

"What is the White House's opinion on the recent events and the rumors that Daniel Fenton is in fact alive?" one reporter was asking as the group approached.

"The President has no comment at this time." Dash insisted, he and his men pushing the reporters back a little.

"LOOK IT'S FENTON!" one of the reported shouted, gesturing toward the approaching trio.

"Mr. Fenton, Mr. Fenton!" reporters tried top swarm past the Secret Service agents, but thankfully they held their ground.

Ignoring the rabble of newshounds, Danny, Sam, and Garrett walked by them toward the sounds of sirens. An ambulance had just arrived.

"God a hate reporters." Danny muttered as he was transferred to the gurney inside the ambulance and the attendants went to work hooking him up to some fluids.

"I can't imagine why." Sam said with a smile as the ambulance doors closed and it drove off into the night, lights flashing.

"I can't imagine why."

* * *

_Perhaps one of the most intense, heartwrenching chapters I've written in some time. We only have two more chapters to go. Looking forward to the end? It's been a long road. Anyways, the poll remains a 50-50 stalemate, so whichever story comes next, it will have a following either way. Anyways, review and let me know how you liked the ending (flame me if you so see fit, but please be kind in doing so :)). Cheers. _


	28. Something worth living for

Chapter 28

Something worth living for

A ghost, dressed in a suit of white, black knee high boots and, a cape of green, made his way down a hallway lit by torches that burned with a green flame, giving the hall a most eerie appearance. The ghost had hair that was greyer than white, a full beard that was neatly trimmed, and a pair of greenish blue eyes. At the end of the hallway was a massive set of wooden doors. One of these doors he opened, revealing a room that was only about ten feet by ten feet. Inside the room itself, was a round table with five chairs around it.

Four of these chairs were already filled with other ghosts, all of whom were dressed the same as the new arrival. However, they each looked different. Two of them were clean shaven, the other two had beards, but not as full as the new arrivals. Indeed, their facial ornamentation was more like goatees.

As soon as the full bearded ghost arrived, the other four stood up.

"Silas, you have arrived." One of the clean shaven ghosts with short black hair observed, moving around the table quickly and kneeling before Silas.

"Mannheim" the elder Overseer muttered, bypassing the kneeling Overseer before him and walking toward the table.

The other men who sat at the table were also Overseers on the Council of Overseers. Now, of course, it was only five out of the thirty on the council but still, these were five men who were devoted to their very essence to their cause.

"Ptolemy" Silas nodded to one of the ghosts with a goatee who was bald, "Marcus" the second clean shaven ghost nodded, "and Thelonius." The last ghost, the second clean shaven once, did not nod back. Indeed, he could not bring himself to make eye contact with Silas.

Silas noted this, but said nothing until he had sat down in his own chair and Mannheim had taken his seat as well.

"Gentlemen, I assume we are all aware of why I called this meeting."

They all nodded solemnly. All except Thelonius, who remained still and silent.

"Well Thelonius, have you nothing to say in your defense? No explanation as to why your 'brilliant plan' failed?"

"I…I have no excuses, sir." Thelonius spoke at last in a barely audible tone.

"And no explanation either?"

"Perhaps…Masters was not strong enough…"

At this, Silas slammed his fist onto the table in anger. "That is an excuse, one I will not abide by, Thelonius!"

"Sir, my apologies, I…"

"My plan could not possibly fail, 'it is fully thought out', and 'our goals will come to fruition'. Were these not your words to me and this Order when we last convened to discuss strategy?!"

"They were, sir, but…"

"You assured us that Masters would be an asset, instead he has become a liability." Silas continued, nowhere near being finished with his reprimand, "now the entire Order is in jeopardy!"

"Indeed" agreed Mannheim grimly, "the Master of Time grows suspicious."

"Exactly, and now we are vulnerable once more. So what have you to say Thelonius? What have you to say?!"

"Sir…I…nothing…I have nothing to say, sir." Thelonius admitted dejectedly.

"Well then, let us proceed to new business. As Mannheim pointed out, this recent debacle has caused Clockwork to begin investigating our activities. Therefore, we must be extra cautious in our next endeavor."

"Then intend to push forward then, even under the circumstances?" asked Marcus in an anxious tone.

"If Clockwork discovers our efforts to revive the Order, he will stop at nothing to destroy it. And with the amount of influence he holds over the Council of Overseers, he will succeed if he proceeds." Mannheim reminded his unsure colleague.

"Mannheim speaks the truth. We must act quickly if we are to regain the momentum we have lost." Silas agreed with an appreciative nod toward the younger ghost, who smiled proudly.

"If I may say so," Ptolemy cut in, "if the Master of Time is becoming such an irritation, why do we not simply remove him as we did his predecessor?"

"We would never coax the votes we need to do so from the Council. He is respected greatly by many of them." Marcus retorted with a shake of his head.

"Marcus is right, we cannot remove him." Silas concurred, "Which means we must plan our next move carefully. Perhaps our efforts to convince the council to activate the Purge can be concurrent with our efforts to weaken their faith in the Master of Time."

"I agree." Ptolemy replied, thus concluding the matter.

"So, what _shall _be our next move, gentlemen?" Silas inquired, causing the group to go uncomfortably silent.

At this, Silas had to repress a sigh of exasperation. They were loyal followers of the cause, but as far as creative thinking went, they sadly lacked such intuitiveness.

Finally, Thelonius opened his mouth to say something, but he seemed to think better of it, and closed his mouth tight once more. This time Silas could not stop the sigh that left his lips. When it was over, he turned his attention to Thelonius.

"You have an idea once again, brother Thelonius?" he inquired with ill concealed impatience.

"Sir, it occurs to me that Masters's actions may have opened a door for us just as they have closed one. Perhaps we might exploit this." The younger ghost said in a cautious, but firm voice.

"So we are to trust to another one of your 'plans' then, Thelonius? Ha! I would rather drink Werewolf piss then do so again." Mannheim retorted incredulously.

"Have you an idea of your own you wish to submit, Mannheim?" Silas cut in.

This caused Mannheim's pale face to turn a light shade of pink in embarrassment. "Well…no…" he admitted grudgingly.

"Very well, we will adjourn for tonight. Thelonius, I want you to think on your proposed plan _very carefully _before presenting it to us when the Order next meets." Silas announced, standing up.

The rest of the Overseers at the table stood up with him.

"Long live the Order!" the table cried out as one before dispersing.

Ptolemy and Marcus exited swiftly, but Mannheim stayed behind to walk with Silas.

"Thelonius, hold a moment." Silas shouted to the young ghost, who stepped at the doorway and turned back to his elder.

"Go one, I shall meet you in the hall." Said elderly Overseer gestured for Mannheim to go on without him, and he did so.

Silas then turned to Thelonius and looked him square in the eyes.

"Take care that you ponder over your plan well, my friend" the leader of the new Order, cautioned him, "you will not be granted my forgiveness a second time."

Thelonius only nodded before leaving. After taking one last glance around the empty meeting room, Silas too left.

There was much to do.

* * *

The steady beeping of the heart rate machine that Danny was hooked up to droned on in the white hospital room in which he now lay on a bed. An IV dripped fluids into his arm and his leg was wrapped up in a plaster cast.

The injury, as it turned out, had been worse than Danny had thought. Rather than having simply twisted his ankle, Danny had, in fact, broken it. This was why he was now lying in this hospital bed in a large clinic in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

Now, on the third day since his last fight with Vlad, Danny was once again laying his bed feeling more bored than ever. Suddenly, the door to the room opened, and a doctor entered.

"Mr. Fenton? Are you awake?" the man asked tentatively.

"Yeah." Danny called back, "what's up?"

"Your family is here to see you."

Danny had not been allowed visitors for the last few days. The doctors had insisted that he needed rest and recuperation, and that visitors would not help that. So Danny was excited as the doctor exited the room and, a few seconds later, Sam entered followed by Garrett, and Dani.

"Hey, look who's here." Observed Danny with a laugh.

His three friends smiled as they approached his bedside.

"Glad to see you're still only half-dead chum." Garrett replied with a laugh.

Dani hugged her host. "He's just being a jerk. We're all glad to see you're alright." She assured Danny.

"It's good to see you too, Bobby." Danny replied, grinning up at his old friend.

"I told you not to call me…ahhh whatever, it doesn't matter" Garrett at last gave in, shaking his head with a small chuckle.

For a while, only Dani and Garrett did the talking as they explained about the waves of reporters they had had to drive off from the hospital, as well as Tucker's surprise resignation from the office of President.

"I never even dreamed he'd be President, but the second president in history to resign aside from Nixon, that's just unimaginable." Danny stated in disbelief.

"Guess he decided the job was a bit too stressful for him. Meh, I don't blame him." Dani said with a shrug.

Sam remained silent for the most part; content to only stare at Danny in silent appreciation. Dani noticed this, and nudged Garrett.

"Come on, Garrett, we should go check on that…uhhh…that _thing._" She said in a 'hint hint' tone.

"Uhhh, yeah, we'll see you later Sam." Garrett agreed with a nod, and the two left the room.

At first, Danny and Sam only looked into the others eyes, neither saying anything. Eventually, Sam broke the silence.

"I thought I'd lost you for real." She whispered.

Danny, remembering his meeting with Jazz, replied: "You did briefly."

Sam leaned in a placed a kiss on Danny's lips. They held for a few minutes, and once again Sam felt the strange confliction of feelings within her. And now was the time more than ever to discuss them.

She pulled away and looked back into Danny's eyes, where he saw the doubt she was feeling.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"You pretended to be dead for four years, you left me alone Danny. That sort of thing just doesn't go away." Sam replied somberly.

"I don't suppose an apology wouldn't help?"

"It might."

"I'm sorry. I thought I was doing the right thing. I forgot about the sacrifice it takes to be a hero." Danny replied, and Sam could see the remorse in his eyes.

"Well…it's a start." His wife muttered with a small smile before hugging him.

"So, you won't be asking for a divorce then?"

To Danny's surprise, the question made Sam laugh.

"No, but you'll be sleeping on the couch for a while, just so you know." She said.

Danny grinned. "Sounds fair to me."

Suddenly, the door opened and Maddie entered. She was pulling the small form of Madison along behind her.

"Mom?" Danny cried in surprise.

"Hello Danny." His mother approached the bed and planted a kiss on her son's head before bringing Madison forward, "there's someone who wants to meet you."

They looked at one another for a moment, father and daughter. In the rather awkward silence that followed, Sam cleared her throat. "Madison, this is your dad, Danny." She introduced the pair.

"Hi there." Danny was the first to speak, and he did so with a smile.

Madison, being the shy four-year-old she was, hid behind Maddie uncertainly. However, with her grandmother's coaxing, the young girl stepped out and smiled bravely.

"H…hi" she managed to get out.

Danny laughed, causing Madison to smile more and turn away in embarrassment.

"She's just like you at that age." Maddie observed with a smile of her own before reaching down and taking Madison's hand once more, "c'mon sweetie, let's let daddy rest. We'll go get something to eat."

"Yay" Madison yelled excitedly as she practically led her grandmother out the door, the prospect of food clearly piquing her interest.

"She get's that from you." Danny observed as the pair left.

"Oh really?" Sam inquired with a raised eyebrow.

"Yep." At this, they both laughed. However, Sam stopped short and a serious look crossed her face.

"There's something she got from you that we should discuss."

Danny nodded in understanding. "What happened under the rock?" he asked.

"I shielded Madison as it was coming at us. Then everything went black. I thought for sure I was dead, but I could move my arms. I wasn't sure what had happened so I grabbed Madison and tried running." Sam explained, "We ran right out the back of the rock. We were both intangible, and as soon as I let go of Madison, I went back tangible, but she stayed the same."

"So, she's a Halfa then?"

"I believe so, yes."

At this, Danny gave a sigh. It had been foolish perhaps to hope that his ghostly half would not leave its mark on his offspring. Nonetheless, he had prayed it did not.

"Her life won't be the easiest one. Heck, I didn't have my powers till I was fourteen, to have them at four…"

"I know, it will be a challenge…for all of us." Sam cut him off, taking his hand in hers and squeezing it slightly, "but we'll figure it out."

They settled back into looking at one another in silence, each appreciating the others company, and for the time being, Danny could forget his troubles.

"What made you come back?" his wife asked suddenly.

Danny looked into her violet eyes and smiled.

"I had something worth living for."

* * *

Dani watched as Madison and Maddie retreated down the hallway after exiting Danny's room.

"I could use some eats too." She announced, having been told of the plan to find food by Maddie, "I think I'll join them."

Dani stood, but so did Garrett to her surprise, and he moved to block her.

"Can we…uhhh…can we talk for a minute." He asked nervously.

Dani nodded slowly.

"Ummm, I haven't had a girlfriend in…well…since college really. And I'm not claiming to be Casanova or anything like that…but…well…I really like you, and I was hoping maybe to build on that." It all just seemed to spill forth from Garrett's mouth.

At first, Dani only stared at him in utter shock. After a minute or so, she actually burst out laughing. Garrett's cheeks went read with embarrassment, but he held his ground before her.

After her laughter had subsided Danny smiled broadly at him. "You are the weirdest guy I've met, but I like that about you." She replied, and before Garrett could say more, Danielle had pulled him into a kiss.

It was the first kiss the two had gotten to share. After all, the others had all been interrupted. If absence made the heart grow fonder, than it did wonders for the lips. The kiss was more intense and passionate than either had ever experienced (albeit, neither had kissed many people). Their tongues were just starting to get involved when the door to Danny's room opened and Sam stepped out into the hallway. Garrett and Dani separated quickly, but Sam still caught a glance of their make-out session.

"I'm sorry, am I interrupting something." Sam asked with a sheepish grin.

"Well…"

"Uhh, yeah." Dani interrupted Garrett with an annoyed tone.

Sam just chuckled and walked away down the hall, shaking her head as she did so. As soon as she was out of sight, Dani turned back to Garrett with a seductive grin.

"Now, where were we?" she asked, and Garrett smiled before going back in for another round of tonsil hockey.

Sam continued down the hallway, still chuckling at the scene.

"The future seems brighter for all of us." She thought fondly as she conjured Danny's face in her mind's eyes.

The empty spot would soon be nothing more than a memory.

* * *

_I know it seems like the end, but there will be an epilogue. Also, the poll still stand 50-50. We'll see if that changes in light of the new questions no doubt raised by this chapter. Review if you like. It's much appreaciated. Cheers. _


	29. A bright future?

Epilogue

A bright future?

Clockwork sat in the Ghost Library staring at the secret door behind which lay the book on the Focusing Stone. The Overseers had done the necessary rituals to return the energy to its rightful place, although a new temple would have to be built to replace the old one.

"It is an utter mess, one we shall all have to play our part in ramifying." He observed with a sigh.

"Indeed, this entire incident has caused much friction, especially in the Overseer Council." Writer agreed solemnly.

Clockwork said nothing; he only continued to stare at secret doorway in silence. Writer could see the look of anxiety and worry on his old friends face and frowned.

"What troubles you so?" he inquired.

"He could not have acted alone, Plasmius. Someone had to have assisted him. How else could he have known of the book's existence or the ritual to funnel the Stone?"

"I do not know." Writer admitted, "But who would help him?"

"Silas."

The name made Writer cringe a little. However, he kept his cool.

"We have had this discussion. You have no solid evidence of Silas's intentions, and he is too influential in the Council for you to go against him without such."

"His father was an Incursor. It stands to reason he himself would be. His charisma is a threat, I believe more firmly than ever his is trying to resurrect the Incursor Order."

"But you have no _proof_." Writer reminded Clockwork, who let out a frustrated grunt and stood up.

"Perhaps so, but I shall not sit idle while Silas builds his ranks. We must do the same." And with that, the Master of Time began to stride toward the Library door.

"Where are you going?" Writer demanded.

"To see Daniel, there is work to be done."

"Clockwork, please, I beg you. Do not drag him into this. He had been through enough." Writer insisted, actually taking flight and moving to block the Master of Time's path.

"He is a Halfa; the mediator between his world and this one. It is his duty to maintain the balance. He cannot escape that duty anymore than I can escape mine." The latter retorted, sidestepping Writer and heading for the library door.

"Gather whom you can, we must prepare." He called back, before disappearing.

Writer watched him leave with a sinking feeling.

"Then, my old friend, you have done nothing short of declaring war, and I cannot help but fear how many casualties it will claim." He thought grimly.

Nonetheless, he set out to gather those who could as instructed. After all…

…Clockwork had never led them astray before.

* * *

It had been six months since Vlad's defeat. Danny had felt an odd mixture of feeling at that. On one hand, Vlad had been his enemy since he was fourteen years old. On the other hand, Danny still couldn't help but say a quiet prayer for the old man. Nonetheless, it had given him a sense of relief. Vlad's shadow no longer hung over him or his family. This, combined with his finally coming to terms with Jazz's death had changed him. Many of his friends and family had noted it. Danny seemed happier, more at peace than he had in a long time.

So it was no surprise when a whistling Danny knocked on the door to Sam's apartment and even gave her a massive smile when she answered it.

"Well aren't we in a good mood toady." His wife observed after opening the door and letting him in.

"I'm always in a good mood." The latter replied, still grinning.

"Uh huh, Madison! Daddy's here!" Sam shouted this last bit.

Madison appeared from her bedroom and smiled at her father as she ran to him to give him a hug.

"Daddy!" she shouted in excitement.

"Hey, there's the birthday girl, how old are you today?" Danny swept his daughter up in his arms and held her so her face was level with his.

"Five." Madison announced proudly.

"Yes you are." Danny replied with a smile before setting her down once more and taking her hand in his.

He then turned his attention to Sam. At this point the atmosphere had become more awkward. While Sam and Danny's relationship was indeed on the mend, there was still some tension between the two. Danny had spent maybe three weeks on the couch in Sam's apartment until she had insisted the situation was too strange for her and that Danny should get his own apartment. So, he had purchased a small bachelor's pad a few blocks away.

"Do you want to go out to dinner tomorrow night?" Danny broke the silence.

"I...sure" Sam agreed.

They had been going out on "dates" per the suggestion of a marriage counselor in an effort to rekindle their relationship.

Danny only nodded, and then the two shared a rather awkward hug before he and Madison left. The pair's destination was the park nearby where Danny sat and watched as his daughter ran around the playground.

As he sat on the bench watching his daughter play, Danny failed to notice the figure dressed in a purple jogging suit sit down next to him.

"Is fatherhood treating you well?" Clockwork asked, startling Danny who turned to see his old ally.

"It's something different." Danny repaid after getting over the shock and going back to watching his daughter, "she gets all that energy from her mom."

"But she had you eyes. And, I believe time will show us, your bravery and determination as well." Clockwork continued also watching Madison with a look Danny found difficult to read.

"Yeah, maybe. So what's up?" Danny decided to change the subject.

"We need to speak. Not now of course, but soon."

"What about?"

"Plasmius did not act alone."

At this, Danny gave a sigh. "Clock, I have a family now…"

"You also have responsibilities. You learned your lesson on the personal sacrifice. You must not forget it so soon."

"Personal sacrifice is one thing. Shirking my responsibilities to my family is another." Danny retorted angrily.

"Daniel, I will not force you to take action, but I will say this: evil agendas are afoot, and they must be halted. Your help would be most beneficial and crucial." And with that, Clockwork stood up to go.

"You know where to find me if you change your mind." He said, before disappearing.

Danny let out a sigh and went back to watching the playground. To his surprise, a young boy was approaching him, looking rather nervous.

"Mr. Fenton?" the boy asked.

"Yes, son?" asked Danny in surprise.

The boy's nerves seemed to fray, and he started rambling on in a panicked voice. "We were playing hide and seek, and it was my turn, and Madison went to hide, and I found everyone else, but I could find her, and we looked, and looked and looked and we still can't find her."

Upon hearing this, Danny stood up and sprinted toward the playground. "Madison! MADISON!" he started shouting in terror.

He searched most everywhere until he came to a spot where two sections of the playhouse formed a small, hidden corner.

"Daddy?" a voice called.

Danny spun and was relieved to see a puzzled Madison standing before him. He immediately ran over to her and swept her up in a hug.

"Madison, oh thank god, where were you?!" he demanded.

"Right there." Madison pointed to the corner.

"That's a lie." The young boy who had fetched Danny exclaimed, "I looked there twice."

"You didn't see me." Danny's daughter replied with a shrug.

"But I looked…I…I…"

"Hey. Come on. Madison's safe, let's just leave it at that." Danny insisted, silencing the young boys protests.

After they had left the park, Danny stopped Madison and kneeled so his face was close to hers. The intensity in his eyes frightened her slightly as he asked her a very important question.

"Sweetie, I need you to be honest with Daddy, okay?" Madison nodded, "were you hiding in that corning the entire time?"

"Yeah, he looked at me, but he didn't see me."

This response caused Danny to stand up, nodding his head knowingly as he did so. Finally, with a sigh, he took his daughters hand and began to lead her toward a nearby ice cream parlor.

"C'mon honey, I'll buy you an ice cream. We need to have a long talk." Her father sighed.

"About what?" Madison asked as Danny opened the door and led her in.

"Honey…do you know what a Halfa is?"

The door closed behind them, and the purple clad figure who had been following them could no longer over hear the conversation. Clockwork smiled.

"Who knows Daniel, if you will not help us, perhaps another will." He thought with hope.

"Time will tell if the torch passes to a new generation."

"…Time will tell."

The End?

* * *

_The next generation of Phantom comes forth. Clockwork's enemies grow stronger by the day. How will our heroes stop the Order? How will Madison's part play out? Guess you better vote for Incursion to find out. :) For those of you who have been reading regular, I have a challenge for you. What was the two main themes of my story? Can you tell me? Anyways, special thanks to Ms. Frizzle, Shugokage, sammansonreplica, and all the others who loyally reviewed. Looking forward to hearing from you on my next DP fanfic. Cheers and thanks for reading. _


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